Chomp's Release Day

Sunday, 7 October 2007 - Chomp's release day. At last the other Black Kites have returned to site from their northern migration. Chomp has been waiting for this day for a long time. At 08h00 I give him the last meal I would have the privilige of feeding him - a rat that Kath caught on her verandah the day before. Pierre and I watch him enjoying his breakfast - he needs a big one to last him through this important and possibly difficult day. He's out of practice with flying and finding his own food. We're worried that he might not cope. At 10h00 a few people arrive to share the release with us - it was not widely advertised as I didn't want too much activity around him. At 10h10 Pierre opens the cage. We all hide away so Chomp can't see us - waiting for him to leave the cage. Nothing happens! He's just sitting inside, probably not realising that he can go. I go inside, take the little fish that's still lying on his feeding table and put it outside the cage - hoping he would follow it. Nothing happens. After a few minutes, Pierre decides to go inside and chase him out. At last he leaves the cage and I start crying. We all run after him and follow him to a tree a few hundred meters away. He's tired - not used to flying. He sits there, watching us from above. After a few minutes two other Black Kites start circling above him. He joins them. It is a magical moment and everone starts clapping and chearing him on. We watch in awe how the three birds continue to circle around and around the camp. How amazing is that! Congratulations Chomp - you're a champion! We're keeping an eye out for you every day, hoping that you're still in the area. We'll never forget you. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was involved with Chomp : his medical care, his feeding (feeding him when I was on leave and catching food like grasshoppers, fish, snakes, rats, etc for him) and for regular visits and interest in his recovery. Thanks also for all your support - I could not have done it without you all. Also a special thanks to Henk D for taking these beautiful release photographs.

Chomp Moved House

Chomp has moved house! A big thank you to all the guys (on the photo below) who built this great new cage in our back yard. The "interior decorating" was done by my gardener Jioma (pictured far right), who sourced some tree logs and planted them around the cage to give Chomp ample opportunity to spread his wings and get some exercise.

I now divide his food into small portions which I then put in different places around the cage to encourage him to move around to find his food himself. I also place a shallow container with water inside the cage and this morning we found him taking a bath in it. I'm so proud of him - he's recovered so well. Hopefully it won't be long now before we can release him back into the wild.

Chomp - Another Update

Last night was the big night. Chomp's strapping was removed to assess the wing and I'm happy to report that it has healed satisfactorily and that no more strapping is required. This means that we'll need to build that "chicken-run" this weekend because Chomp will need some room to run around and get that wing strong again. Come on KB, where's that chicken wire?!

Chomp - Getting all Active

Chomp is definitely getting better. Yesterday I heard a noise at the cage and when I looked out the back door, I saw him dangling from one leg (head upside down) from the large branch that Pierre put into the cage on the first day. He (that's Chomp, not Pierre) obviously tried to fly onto the branch but must have lost his balance, having only one operational wing. Poor thing - after I got over the initial shock I started laughing - it was just so funny - a pity I didn't have the camera ready. Then this morning, Chomp made a run for it. I was cleaning out his cage when he ducked under my arm and ran off into the garden. Luckily Jioma is faster than Chomp and he cornered him, giving me the opportunity to cover him with a towel. Jioma then carried him back to the cage. We decided to put another larger brick into his cage in the hope that it would encourage him to climb up onto the large branch instead of trying to fly. Well - below is proof that our tactic worked. He is now happily sitting on his branch. I think it will soon be time to build him a "chicken-run" or something so he has more space to be active.

Chomp - An Update

Just look at this photo below - he's so gorgious and he knows it. He's doing so well. If he thinks nobody's watching, he sits on top of the brick Pierre put in his cage and checks out the garden and Jioma's activities in the backyard. Sometimes he jumps down from the brick and back up again. Maybe he's bored - just sitting there all day so now he's exercising to keep busy. He's fussy about what he eats. He loves grasshoppers but doesn't like crickets and worms and he doesn't eat heads - even grasshopper heads - he just chucks them out of the food bowl. Thanks very much to all the gardeners and little Leon who catch bugs every day and to Tanya for having the stomach to chop them all up - I could never do that! I'm quite happy feeding him and cleaning the cage - poop and all. Oh - and I talk to him all the time. The gardeners must think I'm crazy, talking to a bird.

Chomp's Strapping Procedure

Chomp had his wing strapped last night and another "check-up and adjustment procedure" this morning. He's eating and drinking water so he's doing just fine under the circumstances. Below are some photos - Darren W recons he should rather stick to metallurgy after seeing these. I recon Andrew or Steve should do a course on wild life medical care - seeing that they already have the medical background.

Chomp's New Home

Pierre and Altus worked hard last night to build a new home for Chomp. Thanks guys for doing such a good job on converting this old crate to a cage any bird would be proud of. I'm sure Chomp was glad to have such a nice warm bed during last night's thunderstorm.

Chomp's Medical Check-Up

Chomp had a thorough check-up last night. Darren B (here seen cradling Chomp in his lap) and Darren W checked him out properly. Luckily they didn't find any external wounds, bleading, etc but it was very clear that Chomp has a bad case of lice and he didn't mind sharing them with Darren and Darren. So, if you see Darren and Darren going around scratching, you know why.