Apr 16 2011

An incredible day at Spier: birds of prey (at Eagle Encounters) and cheetahs (at Cheetah Outreach)

Posted by Jason

We hit Cape Town’s N2 this morning and arrived at Spier with just a vague idea of what to expect. We left having had some amazing up-close (and in some cases, hands-on) encounters with cheetahs, a black-backed jackal, caracals, meerkats and a serval at Cheetah Outreach and owls, eagles, hawks, falcons, vultures, a beautiful secretary bird and many more birds of brey at Eagle Encounters next door. Well worth the trip. We’ll be back again and again.

About Jason Elk

Growing up with a Commodore Vic 20, dial-up bulletin boards and a 2400 US Robotics modem, I’ve been online since high school in the nineties, with the IRC logs to prove it! Between then and now, I spearheaded web initiatives for an international online marketing group, established an internet strategy consultancy and built up a global affiliate revenue stream. I then co-founded Zoopy.com, a social media community that turned into a mobile video entertainment platform delivering bite-sized news, sports and entertainment updates to handsets everywhere. I've since moved on to new digital adventures, punctuated by birding whenever I can, and re-watching episodes of The Larry Sanders Show, Fawlty Towers and Benidorm.

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Adam Mitchell, 17 April 2011

Brilliant pictures man! Went there today, was epic. Like that they are actually doing the animals a favour, it is not your common zoo. Highlight was an owl flying onto my hand and looking at me up close with them huge eyes. Reply
Jason Elk, 17 April 2011

Thanks Adam! It's an unbelievable experience that not many people know about. The volunteers take such special interest in the lives of the birds and the open nature of the place leaves you a lot more comfortable with how the birds are living under human care than, say, World of Birds, where it's just cage after cage. Not that World of Birds doesn't treat them well, but the open environment that these birds have all day at Eagle Encounters is fantastic. Reply