Simon Runting for BirdCare Aotearoa.
Four years ago, Colombian-born veterinarian Dani Najera didn’t know where New Zealand was. But that knowledge gap was plugged when her diplomat brother-in-law was posted to Aotearoa.
“When my sister told me she was moving here, I had to go to Google Maps to see where New Zealand was. Then I arrived in May 2018 to discover this cute little nation where you can see the sea everywhere, the crystal blue ocean, and I fell in love with the country.”
The vet has fallen in love with our birdlife, including the watchful ruru.
An animal lover from an early age, Dani spent hours crawling after ants and caring for many kinds of creatures. “I grew up on a sugar-cane farm and I looked after all sorts of animals in my early years, including turtles, cygnets, ducklings, turkeys, cows, piglets, chickens and bunnies.”
Dani’s family even rescued a monkey they christened Rocka. “He used to make us laugh so hard,” she recalls. “In Colombia, we have a lozenge like a Throatie. It is very strong and minty, and he used to grab them and eat them, then make the funniest faces. He spent 13 years with us until a space was found for him in a zoo with a group of other monkeys.”
With such a passion for animal welfare, when Dani left school, it was no surprise she trained to be a vet. But the degree was very demanding, so after she graduated and her sister and brother-in-law were living in Aotearoa, a holiday here seemed like an excellent idea.
As luck would have it, when Dani arrived in New Zealand, an opportunity to work at BirdCare came up.
A charitable organisation, BirdCare Aotearoa is the country’s largest avian hospital and rehabilitation centre, with staff and volunteers dedicated to caring for sick, injured and orphaned wild birds.
Dani found soulmate Chris in a country she had to google to find!
“Last year, we had over 6700 birds of 175 different species brought to the centre and to see them released back into the wild is so rewarding,” tells Dani, 29. “I feel extraordinarily lucky to be part of that work, which is only made possible thanks to the support of volunteers and donations.”
In spite of loving her work, living away from home has its challenges. Dani explains, “South Americans are very focused on family and we usually live with our parents until we get married. So it’s a big deal to be so far away and I do get homesick, but I’ve made amazing friends here.”
An orphaned duckling gets star treatment at the BirdCare centre.
One of the people she’s especially close to is a dedicated BirdCare volunteer called Chris Yoxall. By day, Chris, 51, is an IT developer, but in his spare time, he’s a guardian angel for ducks.
“The worst time of year for ducks is between December and February, when thousands are brought in suffering from botulism, a disease that causes paralysis,” says Dani. “This means the ducks are fully conscious, but they cannot move, so they are either drowned or eaten alive. But Chris loves ducks so much, he will do anything to rescue them, which is how he became a BirdCare volunteer.”
Proof that birds of a feather flock together, one day, Dani was chatting with a volunteer, detailing the qualities she hoped to find in a partner, when the friend said, “The person you’re describing sounds a lot like Chris.”
A ka¯hu (swamp harrier) looks right at home in Dani’s arms.
So Dani started paying more attention to duck devotee Chris. “We discuss all sorts of topics at morning tea, so one day, I said, ‘Let’s talk families. Who here is married? What about children? Who has children?’ I used morning tea to do my research,” laughs Dani. “Then, to ensure Chris asked me out – as he is very shy – I dropped hints here and there, like little bits of corn as if he was a chicken, and finally he asked me out.”
Pretty soon, Dani and Chris were dating, and life was a box of birds… until COVID came along.
“I kept going to work because the centre couldn’t close, but my lovely flatmate June is in her golden age, in a very vulnerable group, so I had to move out.”
Kingfishers are tagged when they come into care.
Dani had to choose between living at work or moving in with Chris, which is how the lovebirds ended up sharing a nest. She shares, “Neither of us had ever lived with anybody before, so it was definitely an adventure. Then when it was time for me to move back to my flat, we both cried and realised we didn’t want to live apart.”
The happy couple started talking about pairing for life.
“We were walking in the Auckland Domain a few weeks ago,” Dani confides. “It was just a regular Saturday morning when we stopped somewhere pretty and Chris played me Can You Feel The Love Tonight from The Lion King, sung by Elton John. He told me how important I was to him, then he went down on one knee, and I cried and he cried, then we jumped for joy.”
A black petrel in Dani’s care is nearly ready to fly the coop.
The pair are soon to be married in Colombia, then they’ll return to New Zealand to build their lives together – which means the birds of Aotearoa can heave a sigh of relief knowing the newlyweds will continue to care for them in their hour of need.
To volunteer, donate or find out more about BirdCare Aotearoa, visit birdcareaotearoa.org.nz.
