Wildlife Rescue, Johannesburg.

02/01/2025

The Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue and Training Center, located between Bettys Bay and Pringle Bay, is currently looking for regular volunteers to help with the day to day running of the facility. If you have a passion for conservation, and a few hours to spare a week, please consider becoming a part of our volunteer or first responder network. There is no cost involved to become a volunteers, however those who are interested in becoming a part of our First Responder team will need to complete the basic training. The next course will be run at the rescue center on the 15th and 16th of Feb. Call Michelle to reserve your spot.

01/01/2025

If you live in the Durban area and have a passion for helping wildlife, please consider volunteering at CROW.
And likewise, if you live in the Western Cape, Overberg region, please consider volunteering at the Kogelberg Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue Center.

01/01/2025

Did a follow up visit and these guys are all doing so well and loving their new spot. Too cute!

26/12/2024

As the founder of a newly permitted wildlife rescue and rehabilitation Center, located in the Western Cape, I have been so pleasantly surprised by the support and encouragement I have received, not only from my local colleagues but also from conservation organisations, wildlife management colleges, veterinarians, overseas rehab centres and rehab veterans, Without their words of wisdom and advice, I wouldn't be where I am now. As 2024 comes to an end, I have so many people to thank, the list is very long! I am extremely grateful for their backing, their shared knowledge and also their advice. I am a big believer in collaboration for the betterment of all and I look forward to working with you and alongside you. To those that don't want to know, or only think they know, please carry on. You are not my tribe.
All the best for 2025 to all the truly wild and compassionate rescuers in my life.

24/12/2024

24/12/2024

Wishing all our supporters, our wildlife community, rescuers and volunteer who have helped us get this far, a wonderful and peaceful Christmas. The Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue and Training Center will be OPEN, 24/7, right through the holidays to attend to any wildlife emergency calls. You can reach me on 073 314 0674 for any wildlife related issues. The center will be manned (or "womanned", as the case might be) everyday from 7 am to 7pm right through the festive season. Our patients don't know that its a public holiday and will still need care and feeding. You can help us feel a little more 'festive' by supporting the work we do, donating to the our fundraising account, or by volunteering your time at the center. Presents for the patients are also always welcome. Thank you to everyone who has made a Christmas donation via our website www.kogelbergbiosphere.org.za
A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL.

18/12/2024

13/12/2024

Meet the Team: Michelle Watson, a Wildlife Champion in the Western Cape

This month, we’re excited to spotlight Michelle Watson, the visionary behind the soon-to-open Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue and Training Centre—a groundbreaking initiative and the first of its kind in the Western Cape!

After spending 20 years in Johannesburg, where her passion for conservation took root, Michelle has found a new home in the stunning Kogelberg Biosphere. Renowned for its rich biodiversity, the region, she says, is “literally a breath of fresh air.”

Michelle is on a mission to inspire change through education, empowering communities to better understand, appreciate, and coexist with wildlife. “We can all benefit from knowing and appreciating our wild neighbours, understanding their needs, and finding a harmonious way to live alongside them,” she explains, reflecting her dream of a world where humans and wildlife flourish together.

With the centre’s opening on the horizon, Michelle is paving the way for a brighter future, fostering harmony between wildlife and people across the Western Cape.

14/11/2024

SAVC, thank you for the lovely chat. 🥰

14/11/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DT6mxHqvb/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Very honoured to be a Biosphere Champion for this area that I have fallen in love with. It has given me the opportunity to not only do what I love, but also work at improving the standards of rehab by providing higher levels of training. Anyone who works in wildlife rehabilitation knows, it's about more than just the rehabber. As a trainer my focus is on combing the skills of the registered Veterinarian with the goals of a permitted rehabilitator, to get the best outcome for a wild patient. The one depends on the other.
Thank you to the Kogelberg Biosphere for recognising the role that rehab plays in conservation

For our November Biosphere Champion, living in the Kogelberg Biosphere has changed her life. But she has also changed the face of our Biosphere, by working to start our very own wildlife rescue centre.

Michelle Watson is a wildlife rehabilitator and trainer. Her lifelong dream has been to start her own rescue centre. And once the Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue and Training Centre is permitted, it will be the first of its kind in the Western Cape. From here, the rescue team will work to mitigate human/wildlife conflict and return healthy wildlife back into the wild. The centre will also serve as a training hub for young conservationists wanting to enter the field of wildlife rehabilitation, by providing internationally recognised qualifications.

Michelle, who moved to the biosphere after living in Johannesburg for 20 years, says the biosphere is “literally a breath of fresh air”. For this trailblazer, education is key, to empower people to make decisions that will positively impact on the environment. She adds, “We can all benefit from knowing and appreciating our wild neighbours, understanding their needs and finding a harmonious way to live alongside them.”

Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife

25/10/2024

This past weekend, I had the honor of presenting a 2 day workshop at CROW - Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife in Durban, and got to meet the most awesome team members, rescuers and rehabbers. The two day workshop covered everything from Animal welfare to Zoonotic diseases and gave First Responders the skills needed to save lives in the field. A big thank you to Sue, Cliff and team for hosting us in your fantastic education center.
🌿 For 44 years, CROW has been dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating injured, abandoned, and orphaned wildlife, returning them to their natural habitats. As a leader in wildlife care and environmental education, they are passionate about protecting South Africa’s diverse species, including lions, rhinos, and jackals. Their mission goes beyond just saving animals—it’s about inspiring the next generation to recognize the importance of conservation efforts.
Biosphere Wildlife

30/09/2024

One of my favorite restaurants in Pringle Bay, Menucha Coffee and Crafts, have an amazing selection of second-hand books which they sell to raise money for charities. We are so grateful to Sarie Homan for selecting the Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue and Training Center as the recipient of a wonderful donation. This money will go towards providing our future patients with the correct diet to help them on their way to being wild again.
Once we are open and permitted by Cape Nature, we expect to received a wide range of indigenous and endemic species. Before I came to the Western Cape, I raised numerous Large and Small Spotted Genets which are common in our towns and cities. The 2 male neonates in the attached photo where rescued after a tree felling company chopped down their home. The workers then tossed these babies onto the garbage heap, where they were thankfully found by a rescuer before they died. I raised them to the point where they would survive on their own in the wild, and after a long soft-release process they went on to live wild, healthy lives. They were still seen on a trail camera a year later ( in 2011)
Since then I have raised many more species, and have fought many battles with Tree Felling companies. Spring is NOT the time to prune back large trees. Please be aware that at this time of year there are families raising their young in your garden. Enjoy the fact that we can still see them. To support our work please go to www.kogelbergbiosphere.org

25/09/2024

Another casualty of the R44.- A 3 kg Female Mongoose, whose young pup was also killed the next day.
Since moving to the Western Cape 2 years ago, with the plan to start up a much needed wildlife rescue center in the Overberg, I have done nothing but deal with the red tape that goes along with that!
Well, not "nothing" .....
I have also been trying to raise awareness about the high death toll on the R44 which runs by our center. While the speed limit is reduced to 80 km in Bettys Bay and Rooi-Els, the section in between which passes Pringle Bay is 100km. In the time I have been here, there have been many, many animals killed on this section of road. Grysbok are killed at an average of one a month, genets, mongoose, and owls are found on this section weekly, and I have lost count of how many chameleons have been squashed on the tar. Every morning on my way to the center I scan the road, fearing the worst.
Thank you to the ladies from Pringle Bay Rewilding who have taken on this cause, it needs to be address. And to the Keyboard warriors who call me names or insult my efforts, well you can just go and ........ Read more.

24/09/2024

If you are keen to get involved in wildlife rescue, and live near fourways, then this is your chance to get a foot in the door.

Interested in what we do and how you can get involved? Join us at our next orientation day on 5 October.

24/09/2024

Sharing this stunning picture from the Cape of Good Hope SPCA just because I really love it. Happy Heritage Day.

🌍 Happy Heritage Day! 🇿🇦

As we celebrate our rich and diverse cultures today, let’s also honour the animals that are intricately woven into the fabric of our traditions and heritage. 🦁🐾

From the majestic lions and elephants that inspire our stories and our art to the beloved pets that fill our homes with love, animals have profoundly shaped our cultures and remain a vital part of who we are. 🌍💚

Today, let’s remember the animals that enrich our shared heritage and pledge to cherish and protect them for generations to come! 🐘🐕🦏

20/09/2024

Cute.