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Unless she had been to Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation and Breeding
Centre before, the lady standing a yard away from me could not have guessed
that she would soon have a very hungry vulture perching on her shoulder.
Allowing visitors to feed these impressive birds is part of the hands-on
approach to conservation at the centre, which is dedicated to the rehabilitation
and breeding of rare and endangered birds and animals.
Earlier, we had met two graceful young caracal that occasionally condescended
to being stroked as they were slinking among visitors' legs, a playful
pair of leopard cubs, an inquisitive young honey badger and a baby hippopotamus
named Tinkerbelle that had the freedom of the grounds. These animals -
mostly orphans - would be returned to the wild once they were old enough
to fend for themselves.
Seeing them proved a quip I've heard from a game ranger: "The lion cubs
here are all called "Aaah". The leopards are called "Aaah". In fact, all
the animals are called "Aaah" in every language of the world, except for
the spiders, which are called "Aarrgh". On entering the cages, everyone
would, as if on cue, sigh "Aaah" when the inhabitants emerged!
Some of the large birds of prey at the centre are not as lucky as the
young animals. Many have suffered injuries that will keep them from hunting
and flying normally again: In some cases the damage was inflicted by humans
in attempts to domesticate the raptors. An unusual case is that of an
eagle that - through early imprinting - came to believe that she is human.
She has chosen an official at the centre as her life-long mate: This is
not exactly a convenient position to be in, as she expects him to participate
in proper courtship rituals, nest-building and incubation of the egg.
"Lying on a bed of sticks for hours on end is not too comfortable," he
admits ruefully. The eagle is now given fertilised eggs taken from nests
to hatch: In this species, two eggs are usually laid, but the first chick
to hatch always kills the second.
Our last visit was to the lions' and leopards' enclosures. Our guide held
up a piece of meat for a male lion. When the animal reared up to take
it, I realised how enormous it was: No photograph can do justice to the
sight of a lion's belly two feet away as its head towers above you!
Moholoholo also offers a night drive through its game reserve, on which
a number of species - including lions and rhinos - can be seen.
Click here to visit the web site for more...
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