Rescue team minutes too late to save traumatised ostrich on Joburg highway

The ostrich that was seen trotting alongside the highway near Diepsloot, Johannesburg, on Thursday morning has died.

The Owl Rescue Centre said it had tried to capture the large bird and return it to safety but they were too  late. 

“The stress of being on that highway for six hours and the stress of the rescue was just too much for her,” said the rescue team.

While many had been worried that the bird, which seemed to be frantic as it ran alongside the highway, would be hit by a car, the animal is believed to have died from the stress of the incident instead. 

Detailing how the day's events unfolded, the rescue centre said it embarked on a tracking operation for the bird from early in the morning. 

Motorists had taken to social media to say the bird was seen along the busy William Nicol highway. Pictures and videos of the bird were doing the rounds on social media.

Eventually, the bird was traced on the N14. 

“After we tracked her down our plan was to try keep her away from the freeway so as not to cause a serious accident,” the centre said.

At the time, officials who were tracking the bird were driving on the wrong side of the road, trying to prevent the animal from being struck by vehicles. 

The centre said it tried to enlist the help of metro officials in closing the road so they could catch the bird but said they were not helped.

“After around three hours we managed to catch and restrain her, we immediately called our vet Dr Rob Campbell who was on standby to come and sedate her as ostriches suffer notoriously from capture myopathy,” said the rescue centre. 

“But while we were on the phone with the vet, she collapsed. We performed CPR on her for 20 minutes but unfortunately we lost her. The stress of being on that highway for six hours and the stress of the rescue was just too much for her,” the centre added. 

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