THE THUNDERBIRD

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2018

MGHP
@ground_hornbill

The Baobab is growing

The Baobab Rearing Facility is finally becoming a reality. A centralised facility where protocols can be standardised had become a blindingly obvious next step in our journey to recovering Southern Ground-Hornbill populations in South Africa. Through a partnership with Mpulanaga Parks and Tourism Agency, the MTPA-MGHP Alliance, this became feasible, and after nearly three years of fund-raising we are finally thrilled to share the progress with you in the photos below: 








OUR WISH LIST

We are looking for the following items to complete the Baobab, even if they are second-hand:

1. A 16-camera CCTV system to allow the public to watch the hand-rearing and nest activity without influencing the wildness of the reintroduction candidates.

2. Stainless steel furnishing for the veterinary, incubation and food preparation areas: tables, stools, double-sinks, shelving.

3. A safe to keep veterinary drugs secure.

4. Cupboards (any size welcome) for storing equipment.

5. An x-ray machine for examining injured birds.

A nest is lost ....

This nest within the Sabi Sand Wildtuin was lost to elephant damage in February 2018. We have been pondering for a while on how to best protect nest trees, both natural hollows and the trees used to hold artificial nest hollows, and this year will see the implementation of beehives to protect the nest trees from elephants. The design we will be using has proven success within the agricultural buffer zone around Gorongosa National Park. With time we would like to see this grow into a community poverty alleviation project. 

We feel it is so important to be able to give our supporters and partners first-hand feedback about our work and so the invitation to attend and present at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) meeting was a wonderful opportunity for just that. Many thanks to SASOL Ltd, Disney Animal Kingdom, San Diego Global, Virginia Zoo, North Carolina Zoo, Smithsonian National Zoo and the AZA organisers in Jacksonville for making this time such a success. We were able to meet with partners and sponsors and also learn from the various husbandry and field conservation meetings attended.