After two decades the local animal sanctuary Eagle Encounters has closed its doors.
In a statement from Spier, where the sanctuary was situated as a tenant, it said Eagle Encounters played “a significant role in wildlife rehabilitation in the Western Cape”.
The news of the closure saw many former visitors sharing their memories.
Eagle Encounters was started by the Chalmers family 23 years ago. In 2001 Hank and Tracy Chalmers founded the sanctuary on the land, donated by Spier Wine Farm, which provided the perfect location for the rehabilitation, release, conservation, education and eco-tourism programmes.
Hank met his first falcon at the tender age of five years, and by age eight he was in love with raptors.
Over the years the NPO helped rescue close to 6 000 birds and animals, successfully released almost 4 000 back into the wild, and was a sanctuary for numerous unreleasable birds and animals. Education was also a major part of the Eagle Encounters’ mission.
“Having faithfully dedicated more than two decades to serving wildlife and our community, being on call day and night, working weekends and public holidays, we have, after lengthy deliberation, reached the decision that it is time for a new season, where we prioritise spending more family time together,” Hank and Tracy said in a post on social media.
Although the organisation closed its doors on Tuesday 2 April the team will continue with their release programme. Birds and animals that cannot be reintegrated back into the wild will be sent to homes with the assistance of CapeNature.
CapeNature and Eagle Encounters have long worked together, with the former referring to the sanctuary has a “beacon of hope for thousands of raptors, embodying the essence of conservation”.
Eagle Encounters is the second animal sanctuary to decide to close its doors in recent weeks, after the management of Monkey Town in Somerset West announced the primate centre would close on Monday 29 April.
According to Melissa Grobler, manager of Monkey Town, the premises that houses the centre will be sold, much to the sadness of the founding Grobler family, who have owned the property since 1981.
Ornithologist Dr Andrew Jenkins, who has worked with the Chalmers family for years, is distressed by Eagle Encounters’ closing, saying the closure will leave a void in conservation, which he is unsure whether it would “be filled effectively”.
Other bird experts, organisations and former visitors shared their displeasure at the closure, but also shared memories of their visits to the sanctuary.
“Our heartfelt gratitude to Spier, our amazing patrons, our dedicated staff and volunteers, and our supporters for your years of loyalty,” the Chalmers couple added.
