Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre

The Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre has become home for many of South Africa’s abandoned or injured wildlife. Since its inception the centre have managed to release over 200 animals back into the wild.  Many however are not able to be released as they are too injured or habituated to humans.

Although they have a breeding programme they only breed the animals if there is somewhere for the young to go. Notably the centre has successful reintroduced more than 160 Serval’s into areas where they have become extinct.

The small museum was excellent but very sobering and upsetting as it had information about the animals and what they had experienced.

At The Centre 

Each member of the group had the opportunity to stroke a Cheetah and hold and feed a Vulture. We thought this might be the closest we would ever get to a Cheetah, not really how we wanted to see one. We were able to enter the vulture  and eagle enclosure to get closer to them.  There were Black, Martial, Crowned, Fish, Snake, Tawny and Bateleur eagles, many of  these birds had flown into power lines. 

The star of the centre was Stoffel  the honey badger, who has been much filmed for TV because of his ability to escape from enclosures. Although the centre was very interesting and did good work rehabilitating and releasing animals we prefer to see them in the wild.

Standing next to these eagles, without any cage made you realise how large and imperious they are. Their eyes, talons and beaks are amazing to see close to.

The vultures we discovered were sponsored by Banham Zoo in Norfolk in the UK. a local zoo to us at home. We saw Caped, Lappet Faced, White Headed, Griffon and Hooded vultures.