VETERINARY
Veterinary treatment at SANCCOB is dedicated to reducing pain and suffering and treating seabirds in need so that they can have a second chance at a healthy life in the wild. Our veterinary team treats seabirds with ailments which include physical injuries, malnutrition and infectious diseases.
SANCCOB has two seabird hospitals which are registered with the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) In Cape Town, where we have a full-time clinical veterinarian, we can complete almost all our diagnostic and veterinary treatment in-house with on-site X-ray facilities and two surgical theatres and ICU rooms. SANCCOB Gqeberha houses a more modest surgical theatre where minor surgical procedures are performed onsite, and, we have partnered with a local veterinary clinic for X-rays and more complex procedures.
Depending on the reason for admission of the individual patient, the veterinary team will diagnose, draw up a treatment plan with the rehabilitation team and monitor each patient’s response to treatment. It is possible to treat and rehabilitate severely injured seabirds, providing rapid rescue and transfer to SANCCOB’s seabird hospital.
A high percentage of the seabirds admitted are abandoned African penguin chicks. Many abandoned chicks arrive in poor body condition suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, anaemia and parasite infestations. These cases require prompt veterinary evaluation and treatment to address these problems.
Our most difficult surgical cases are admitted due to trauma, often due to injuries caused by predators like seals, sharks or caracals. These patients require intensive veterinary care to stabilize them before they are strong enough for surgery. Bite wounds often require several surgical procedures before they are fit for release. Seabirds that have lost a lot of blood through a trauma incident may be candidates for a blood transfusion and seabirds suffering from fractured bones may be eligible for fracture repair by splinting or pinning the broken bones.
One common disease that causes seabirds to arrive at SANCCOB is botulism, which presents as a temporary paralysis, caused by the toxin from a bacterium. Botulism mainly affects gull species. If affected birds are rescued and treated timeously, there is a good chance of survival.
SANCCOB has also dealt with severe outbreaks of novel diseases in wild birds, most recently high pathogenicity avian influenza, which affected large numbers of South African seabirds, including many critically endangered species.
We also host and train visiting vets and veterinary students at SANCCOB as part of our vet experience program. Our veterinary team also assists with disaster preparedness and response, wild seabird conservation and research.