Whakatāne Bowls Club wrapped up its Business House Bowls tournament last Wednesday after weeks of intensive competition.

The event, in which businesses from across Whakatāne battled it out for the top gong, raised $1500, which was donated to Bird Rescue Whakatāne.

Club president Kerri Haddock said Bird Rescue had been at the forefront of her mind recently after helping her with a kererū that lived around her house.

“I found it outside injured and rang both the local vet and Department of Conservation for help. They put me onto Allan Jones at Bird Rescue. He told me to catch the bird and bring it to him.

The cost of feeding and rehabilitating birds comes directly out of the volunteers’ pockets.

Being reliant on public donations, Bird Rescue Whakatāne representative Rowena Hayes is grateful for the support.

“We do have donation boxes at Gibbo’s on the Wharf and in Kope, as well as at Vets for Pets.

“It gets really busy when the young mutton-birds start leaving their nests. They tend to crash-land in strange places such as the beauty counter in Farmers, the ladies’ toilets in Boon Street, and the Bunnings car park.

“We also get a few juvenile penguins that become disorientated,” she said.

The donations help the vet bills associated with assessing and treating injured birds.

Mrs Hayes is keen to spread the word about Bird Rescue’s work. While it’s usually members of the public who first find injured birds, the organisation is there to give advice and facilitate their rehabilitation back into the wild.

Most people call the council, DoC, the SPCA or a vet, and those calls eventually lead to Bird Rescue. The organisation can also be contacted directly on 027 254 8031.