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Hoedspruit - A newly born red duiker was rescued when tourists bought it for R100 and took it to the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre near Hoedspruit, Limpopo.
Tourists arrived with the baby duiker on February 3 after they bought it from a man selling it on the side of the road near Hoedspruit, the centre’s founder Brian Jones said.
It was no more than 5 days old and weighed less than a kilogram.
“Being taken away from its mother after it has just been born, and also being manhandled by this stupid person, must have caused unbelievable stress, so it is a miracle that the duiker is healthy,” Jones said.
It had most likely been taken from its mother when she temporarily left it to go and find food and was likely being sold for bushmeat.
“It is unfortunate that the tourists had to pay for it, because now the seller knows he can make easy money and he will go out and catch something else,” said Jones.
The duiker settled down quickly, sleeping on a straw bed and drinking milk from a bottle. It would hopefully be released back into the wild after several months at the centre.
The illegal bushmeat trade was thriving in the region.
“You wouldn’t believe the stuff people are selling. Everything from antelope, to monkeys, owls, birds of prey and tortoises. It’s happening all over the place,” Jones said.
The centre was struggling to cope as people kept bringing animals. In the past few days they had received another baby duiker, a steenbok and various birds.
