Day 12 in Africa: Flying Free

It's been over a week since we've heard from Jenyva. Internet access went down and she was unable to send anything, until now!

by Jenyva Turner

29 January 2011
Mageliesberg Mountains, North West province, South Africa

One of the best things about wildlife rehab is being able to release the animal you nursed back to heath. It’s a very emotional experience for many rehabbers- met with mixed emotions as they can quite easily become attached to the animals in their care.
Today we released 4 Cape vultures that came into Vulpro. These vultures came in with a variety of conditions ranging from starvation and dehydration to being grounded due to the recent rains. We drove up a rocky road to a beautiful overlook in the Mageliesberg Mountains. I was one of the lucky people who was able to open up a crate door and let the birds fly free once again.



I have to say that it was a bit anticlimactic… I was expecting a flurry of feathers bursting at high speed out of the crates, but it was quite the opposite. The vultures were all fledglings (hatched several months ago) and were still pretty naïve. They stumbled out of the crate, blinking in the bright sunlight and were not a bit concerned with the 11 people staring at them. After a few minutes, Kerri had to run towards them to encourage them to fly free. It was beautiful and moving to watch them soar over the cliff edge- so much power. These are the lucky ones- the success stories. Sadly, not all of the birds Kerri receives are strong enough to fly again.



Thabazimbi/Marakele National Park, Limpopo province, South Africa

Ever since I saw Vulpro’s DVD, “Path into the Future”, I have wanted to experience flying with the vultures of Thabazimbi, the largest colony of Cape vultures in the world. I wanted to hear the air moving through their feathers as they soared and danced on the wind just meters above my head. We enjoyed a short hike thru the Waterberg Mountains through grasses and proteas.



I knew exactly what the breeding cliffs looked like as I have watched the DVD over a dozen times. As I climbed over the final ridge I saw the dark, sheer cliffs rising straight from the veldt floor. The mountains of South Africa are considered to be the oldest mountains in the world and look so different from our Rocky Mountains.



But before I ever reached that point, the vultures were already all over- zipping around, playing on the wind. It was awesome and exciting to watch them master the skies. The winds were a bit strong, yet the birds hardly had to flap their wings. Just slight adjustments of the flight feathers and they could easily change course. Vultures are known in certain cultures to be symbols of efficiency (among many other things like renewal, patience and perseverance). Watching them fly with ease and virtually zero energy expenditure, showed how true those ancient legends still are.



Sadly, the winds (while no problem for the vultures) turned out to be too strong for us to paraglide safely. So there would be no flying with the vultures for me today. But somehow I still felt alive watching them soar and dive around me. They were having fun- flying just to fly. (There is a short video below of the vultures soaring.) Pairs were flying in tandem- something that is thought to strengthen pair bonds. I could hear the wind passing through their feathers. I found their feathers on the ground amongst the rocks. I felt like I was on sacred ground. Like I was witnessing something spiritual. And considering that these birds are still thought to be messengers of the gods, maybe I was.