When our Wildlife Team was alerted to a panicked buck on the loose at a development site behind Makro, Cape Gate, we knew we had to get there quickly! The duiker had run into a residential complex, and in her desperation to escape was running into walls and fences.
Inspector Minette Pieterse reached the scene within minutes and quickly realised that this rescue would not be possible without sedating the duiker, whose stress levels were dangerously high. Unfortunately, we’re not equipped with a dart gun – at R32, 000 this piece of equipment is out of our reach right now. So, working via the Wildlife Authority Cape Nature, we contacted a veterinarian – Dr van Zyl of the Wellington Animal Hospital Group, who responded immediately and darted the little duiker. The duiker was cleared for release and Inspector Minette got to do her favourite thing – set the duiker free back into the wild.
