Hi,
Another inside opinion/insight into rehabbing from Mike Ford
Cheers
Carol de Bruin
Johannesburg
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Ford <>
To: SA Birdnet <>
Date: 21 July 2000 10:30
Subject: "Instant Expert - 2"
>Just back in sleepy old Hermanus after the third week at Salt River depot
>and thought I'd update the situation, as seen through the eyes of a
>volunteer.
>After that first week of moving around various jobs as required by the team
>leaders, I eventually settled down to steady employment in the first of the
>two washing sections, where I have been busy ever since, in the role of
>washer.
>Each section consists of two washbays, being converted showers and
washrooms
>previously used by the Transwerk employees; a rinsing section, being the ex
>toilet area, and the drying rooms, being the old changing rooms.
>Each washbay is equipped with 10 overturned plastic 45 gallon drums which
>act as the bearers for 5 gallon plastic washing basins, which are filled
>with warm soapy water by the "water boys". Depending on the number of
>volunteers available, each bay will be manned by between 4 and 7 pairs of
>washers (one holder and one washer to a team).
>A team will collect a bird from the holding pen outside the door, where, at
>any given time, about 15 pre-treated birds wait for about 20 minutes for
the
>vegoil solvent to do its work prior to washing. The bird is then
>unceremoniously lowered into the warm soapy water, where a combination of
>its kicking and struggling, plus some vigorous rubbing from the washer soon
>removes about 70 plus % of the oil. The bird is then swung into a second
>basin and the procedure is repeated - the dirty basin being quickly
>replenished by the tireless water carriers - until the bird is clean from
>the neck down. This takes anything from 2 to 5 basins to achieve, although
>the record stands at 15 basins for one poor specimen. The next basin is
>dedicated to cleaning the neck and face, which is naturally the most
>sensitive area, which needs to be done with a great deal of care using a
>toothbrush, and having a rinsing bottle of fresh water handy for when a bit
>of soapy water gets in the eye. (The bird's that is, not the washer's!).
The
>cleaning process is repeated and repeated until the suds coming off the
>feathers are clean and all traces of oil are gone. It is easy to see when
>the white plumage is clean, but the only way with the black areas -the
>majority - is to carefully monitor the quality of the water and the suds
>coming off the bird.
>Once the washer is satisfied - usually about 5 minutes after the holders
>forearms go into cramps! - the bird is carried through to the rinsers,
where
>every vestige of soap is sprayed off using a Gardena nozzle on a hose. A
>washer's ultimate insult is to have his/her bird returned by the rinsers as
>"not completely cleaned", so this acts as a pretty good quality control.
>The time required to wash a bird varies from 10 minutes for a lightly
soiled
>bird (3 basins) to 40 minutes for one heavily oiled (6-9 basins). My worst
>one came at about eight pm on Wednesday night, after a hard day of
cleaning,
>and starting to fantasise about that Windhoek lager sitting in the fridge,
>when my handler brought through the biggest, fattest, strongest and
dirtiest
>penguin I had ever seen. Of course, we immediately christened him "Oily Le
>Roux", and proceeded to ruck and maul with him for the next 45 minutes.
Even
>after all that time this bokkie was still twisting and fighting until, with
>huge relief I gave him his red card and sent him packing to the showers.
>That wound up my best day to date, with 54 birds washed (yes I do count
>'em - its my twitcher's instinct at work!)
>As I write, we're looking at a touch under 8000 birds cleaned, and
allegedly
>13000 to go, the good news being that no new arrivals are being brought in
>recently, so the problem is now one of reducing magnitude. The other good
>news which we heard - also unconfirmed - is that the situation on the
>islands is good enough for the powers-that-be to consider releasing direct
>back to Robben and Dassen, instead of the P.E. option with the long and
>hazardous swim.
>Now for a weekend of hedonistic idleness, nursing my laundry rash, before
>returning to the fray on Monday.
>Have a great weekend, and remember:-
>"Everyone who helps is a hero".
>cheers for now
>Mike Ford
>
>
>
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