09/10/2025
Coca-Cola I thought you were more nature conscious than Nestlé ? Do South Africans have to boycott your products including bottled water to let you know how much we care about the environment and animals?
What happened yesterday at one of the largest corporations in the world, completely floored us. Although our expectations of this beverage company is low, we now realized that we are up against a profit-driven monster, bereft of any conservation ethic.
We were on the runway, busy with final checks to take off for a rescue in Northam, when the call came through. There was an owl in the bottling plant of the Midrand branch of Coca-Cola. The call was from a pest control company who was asked to 'deal' with the problem, and not from Coca-Cola themselves. The lady was unsure how to remove the owl from their bottling plant. She explained the urgency of the matter to us. All production was stopped and Coca-Cola was loosing hundreds of thousands in revenue.
We agreed to fly out to Northam a bit later that day and make our way to CCBSA Midrand right away. The lady from the pest control company, contracted through Coca-Cola, was extremely pleasant and grateful for the help, and said that she would let them know that someone was on their way.
A few minutes later she called to cancel - the owl had been killed. I informed her that killing indigenous wildlife is a criminal offense and that all wildlife is protected under our Biodiversity Act. She phoned Coca-Cola back, who then asked: "which species are protected that they can't touch".
Its clear that they don't have any value for our wildlife. It seems as if they were not prepared to loose more revenue, to spare a life.
We asked to collect the body for an autopsy to be performed so we can confirm if it was indeed killed, but when Coca-Cola realized that their contractor was consulting with us for advice, they ordered her to immediately cease all communication.
We will ask our contacts at the NSPCA - National Council of SPCAs to assist us with this case, to retrieve the body and to obtain the CCTV footage of this incident. It's time that stricter rules are applied to corporate companies, to respect and protect the wildlife on their premises, and preserve the environment in which they operate.
Companies have stringent rules and procedures for security, site access, and staff inductions, which are consistently followed to a T. However, there are none for wildlife. Mandating wildlife education is essential. Furthermore, the killing of any living creature on company property should be grounds for immediate dismissal and criminal charges. It is time that wildlife is prioritized.
We have a great working relationship with the majority of corporations, who phone us often to assist with wildlife management at their premises. Pest Control companies are not permitted or mandated to deal with wildlife. And our wildlife are not pests!
This incident highlights a critical lapse in adhering to humane standards for wildlife management and underscores the necessity of allowing qualified, permitted personnel to handle such sensitive situations.
