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Just a quick not to say that if you like our stuff please don't hesitate to share it and also leave us comments so we know what you like, what you don't like and also what you want to know. In this way we can also start posting articles on the things you want to learn more about. It has been great to see that more people are reading the blog and also checking us out on Facebook and our YouTube page as well. Like us, tweet us back, watch our videos, leave comments and stay in touch. We really do like hearing from you :)

Gold Medal Winners

As I mentioned in our last post, we had a stand at the recent World of Dogs and Cats and Pet Expo in Durban over the weekend. This was an amazing show and very well attended. We are proud to announce that we received a Gold Medal for our stand! This is even more amazing when you consider it was our first expo in more than 5 years and the first time in almost 30 years we have won a medal for our stand. It was a lot of hard work but well worth it at the end of the day when you consider the exposure we got, the people we got to speak to, and the message we could get across.

It was also refreshing to see that in general people are becoming more educated about their pets and want to do the best they can for them. As always we had some very odd questions but we get these every day :) Grateful thanks again to the organisers of the expo for giving us the stand and also to our staff for their hard work...now to start planing for next year.

Dog, Cat and Pet Expo and Pet Birds

We are in the process of final preparations for the Dog, Cat and Pet Expo this weekend at the Durban Exhibition Centre. The organisers have very generously given us a stand free of charge and we are so grateful for this. With around 15 000 people expected to attend over the 3 days of the expo, it is amazing exposure for us. Whilst we do not sell birds as pets, we are always asked for advice on pet birds and also have been asked to re-home birds.

Every year we get more than 100 requests from the public to re-home birds. Most of these birds are no longer wanted by their owners for various reason but others are very reluctantly handed over. Birds can make fantastic pets and we will not dispute that...however many people don't know what it takes to look after them properly or the amount of dedication needed to make them happy and healthy. When you realise that some parrots have the intelligence of a three-year old child and can live for up to 80 years, it really is like having a child in your home for life. Many birds also need specialised medical care and diets and if you do not do your research, your bird can suffer and possibly die.

We are continually stunned by some of the questions we get asked by people wanting to buy a pet bird - or even worse - who have already bought the bird. I have included some below for your amusement and also to shock you.

"I want a bird that will talk. If it doesn't talk can I bring it back and swap it for one that does?"
"I want to buy a brightly coloured bird and don't care what it is."
"It's my daughter's 5th birthday tomorrow and I want to get her a macaw."
"I bought a bird from the pet shop yesterday but con't know what it is...what do I feed it?"
"Can I buy an owl from you as my mom really likes them and I thought it would be nice for her to have one as a pet".

It's not all bad though. We have had some very heartbroken people contact us needing us to give their birds a home and it has not been easy for them. These people touch our hearts and we have wept with them as they hand over their birds to us and also seen the joy on their faces when they come to the park to visit and see their birds on display or with a mate acting like a real bird. They are also the people who regularly stay in touch with us to ask about their birds and where possible, we try to put pictures on our Facebook page for them.

So we are not saying that you must not get a bird as a pet, just to think carefully about your decision and please do as much research as possible about they bird you are looking to get. Do it for your sake and theirs. With all that out the way, come to the Expo this weekend and see us or join our Facebook page, Twitter Feed, You Tube channel and come to the park...we have lots waiting for you.

After one of the busiest Christmas seasons in recent memory, the park is starting to calm down now as half the country has gone back to work and kids get ready to go back to school. By the end of next week, things at the park will be back to normal and the hard work begins to prepare the park for the Easter influx. There i a lot of work to be done - much of which could not be done during December due to the large crowds. Some of this work includes high-pressure cleaning of pathways, re-laying of some paths, trimming large tree branches, cleaning off roofs of aviaries, construction work on some existing aviaries, pruning of shrubs, re-working garden beds, emptying, scrubbing, patching and then re-filling the main dam. The main dam feeds our waterfall which is always a major attraction. We clean this dam twice a year and it takes about 4 days from the time we start draining it to the point we can put the birds and fish back in. If you look carefully you will see shoals of tilapia fish swimming in the dam. We regularly add more fish to the dam as the herons, hamerkop, cormorants and giant kingfishers all love the free food. The fish help to clear the water and since adding the fish, we have definitely noticed an improvement in the water.

December also saw a number of new babies added to the collection - some taking us completely by surprise! Among the new additions are Perfect Lorikeets (2), Spotted Dikkop (2), Common Peafowl (4), Giant Wood Rail (1), Guira Cuckoo (2), Laughing Kookaburra (3), Nicobar Pigeon (1), Moluccan Cockatoo (1), Scarlet Ibis (3), Superb Starling (5) and Yellow-bibbed Lory (2).

January 1st also saw us increasing our entry fees for the first time since March 2009. The increases are not massive - only R 6 added to Adult entry fees and R 2 added to Children Pensioners and Groups. This also means that the cost of our Memberships has also gone up slightly but is still very affordable, and a great way to support the park. The new entry fees are as follows - R 36 for Adults and R 17 for Children, Pensioners and Groups. By far the most affordable attraction Durban has to offer.

'Tis the Season

Well with just over 3 weeks to go before Christmas, the park is gearing up for a bumper season. Hopefully the weather will hold out for us and we will have the masses streaming in. Last Christmas was the busiest we had for more than 5 years and we are hoping this year will be even better. Christmas day is the only day of the year we close to the public but are open on all other public holidays...including New Year's Day.

Breeding season has hit with a bang this last week with 11 baby Peacocks now running around the park. You can also see a baby Barn Owl, Guira Cuckoo, Perfect Lorikeet, Chinese Painted Quail and Ring-neck Pheasant in the Baby Room. We allow most of the birds to raise their own babies and only hand-raise when absolutely necessary. This is mostly due to the fact that we do not sell our babies for pets, but rather trade with other zoos, parks, and private breeders as breeding birds.

It is a sad fact that Christmas is the time so many people want to give animals as presents to their kids without thinking of the long-term consequences. Every year starting in March, we get phone calls from people wanting to donate their "presents" to us. Many of them we unfortunately have to turn away as we do not have the space to house them properly. Also, all birds donated to the park and brought in from other facilities have blood tests done which cost in excess of R500 each. This is done to check for common diseases which could cause major problems and even death to our existing collection. When you consider that we get more than 300 requests a year to re-home birds, that cost works out to at least R 150 000 a year if we were to accept all those birds! Not only is that money we can ill afford to spend, but the cost of the tests also often exceeds the value of the birds. So after having read this, please think very carefully before buying not only a pet bird, but any pet for yourself, family or children. It really is like having a human child and if you don't have the time, rather buy a plant :)

With all that out the way I want to say thank you to everyone for their support as we get our social media networks up and running. It has been very encouraging for us to see the responses to the Facebook page, You Tube posts, Twitter posts and the blog you are reading now. The website guys are coming today so that should be up and running soon as well. Please leave comments and tell your friends to support us as well.

It's been a busy week here at the park with more than 500 kids coming through for a function on Wednesday and Thursday. Thankfully the weather held out so they were able to have a full day of fun at the park. The weather though hasn't stopped us from working or taking a break and there has been much going on behind the scenes to prepare the park for the Christmas season. Cages are being renovated, new birds are going on display, babies are popping out everywhere and the staff are working harder than ever to ensure our visitors have the best experience possible. The new cycle lane in Riverside Road is now almost complete and this will also bring in additional visitors. We are looking at a discounted entry fee for cyclists to encourage more people to not only visit us, but also make use of this new addition and reduce their carbon footprint. 

We are now up and running with our You Tube and Twitter pages and are trying to post new content here every week. The Facebook page also continues to grow and again new content will be added every week. The new website has also been given the go-ahead and this will hopefully be up and running in the next couple of weeks. We will have 2 websites: www.umgeniriverbirdpark.co.za and www.urbp.co.za. Both sites will be identical and content will be updated every month. That's it for now. Thanks for reading and catch up with us again next week for more news.

Breeding Season is upon us

With all the rain we have had recently we have had a delayed start to the breeding season. Things look like they are picking up now though and we have got some beautiful new arrivals...these include  Guira Cuckoos, Green-naped Lorikeet, Perfect Lorikeet, Chinese Painted Quail, Ringneck Pheasant, Scarlet Ibis and Eclectus Parrot. After not breeding for the past 3 years, our Moluccan Cockatoo laid 2 eggs. These eggs have been removed as she has a habit of breaking them and they are currently in our incubators. One is fertile and we are still waiting to see if the second is as well. Our Nicobar Pigeons have also been attempting to breed for the first time in 2 years but their first clutch of eggs were infertile. It is still early though so hopefully they will get it right as the breeding season progresses. The picture we added is o the Nicobar Pigeon and you can see how amazing they look...nothing like a normal pigeon. They are also the closest living relative of the Dodo so really special to have.