Manager: De Wildt Vulture Unit, De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust
Kerri seems too small to handle huge vultures. But woe betide you if you dare to imply that vultures are dirty birds! ‘I hate sitting behind a desk and my job is unique. I love it to the last feather,” she says.
Her work is the rescue of injured or poisoned vultures and their rehabilitation back into the wild. She’s currently hand-rearing a two-month-old Cape griffin vulture.
A vital component is educating people about these great birds. ‘We take vultures to schools to demonstrate to children the important role they play. But, sadly, there are a lot of myths about these birds in rural areas. People believe eating a vulture’s brain will make you dream the right numbers for the lottery.”
Handling vultures is not a traditional career path for women. ‘People don’t believe I’m strong enough to handle a vulture.”
Her eyes flash with anger when she talks about the threats vultures face. ‘Poison, powerlines and illegal trade are just some of the threats.” Kerri often has to save vultures from the brink of death. ‘Helping an injured bird recover, seeing it eager for freedom once more – that’s what makes me tick,” she says.