What a privilege it is to live in or visit our beautiful Kogelberg Biosphere! These surroundings make it the perfect home for the local wildlife and a privilege for those of us who live here and love wildlife.
Our wildlife includes animals such as tortoises, snakes, frogs, porcupines, grysbokkies, Grey Mongoose, baboons, genets, caracals, a rich variety of bird species including dikkops, Cape Spurfowl, owls, eagles, falcons, as well as frogs, snakes and insects – to name just a few. We even have leopards and penguins! Many of the animals move between our properties and observing and experiencing them brings a joy in my soul that is unexplainable.
However, this precious wildlife often needs to cross the roads between properties or the R44 during the day and at night. This is where the sad horror comes in when innocent wildlife is hit and either injured or killed by motorbikes, cars and trucks.
Some are killed instantly on the road while others are severely injured and make it to the bushes next to the road to die a slow death. Some drivers travel so fast they don’t even notice wildlife on the road or can’t react in time to avoid the kill. A sad fact is that people have been seen to have hit an animal and then just drive on leaving it injured or dying on the road.
I cannot emphasize it enough that we need to drive slower! Not only on Clarence drive/R44, between Gordons Bay to Arabella, but also on the residential roads between properties where the wildlife live and roam freely. Let’s all work together on this.
Angulate Tortoises
Angulate Tortoises are the only species in the genus Chersina (land tortoise). They are a protected species with striking markings on their beautiful shells which are used for protection. They are found in a wide variety of vegetation types from sandy coastal to coastal fynbos and moister habitats with higher rainfall. These tortoises have a lifespan of 30 years and maturity to reproduce is reached at 10-12 years. The female lays a single hard shelled egg and produces one hatching per mating season.
They are slow movers and cannot move fast to avoid traffic. As they live on residential properties and move around freely, we need to drive carefully and slow enough to avoid killing them.
(https://www.sanbi.org/gardens/hantam/wildlife-and-biodiversity-2/angulate-tortoise/)
Cape Grysbok
Cape Grysbok (Raphicerus melanotis) is a member of the dwarf antelopes. They live in our Kogelberg Biosphere and are found on and between the greenbelts and many residential properties in Betty’s Bay. The Grysbok is a fynbos endemic being almost entirely restricted to this vegetation. They shelter in thick scrub-bush and occur in a variety of habitats from bush covered dunes to wooded gorges to mountain slopes. They have a lifespan of 10 years. After a gestation period of 180 days, a single lamb is born between September and December.
Unfortunately, they are a common road casualty as they become disorientated and blinded by the headlights of cars and motorbikes at night.
Motorists and bikers need to travel slower, to be able to stop or slow down and avoid hitting one of these – both on Clarence Drive and the village roads.
Cape Porcupines
These belong to the sub-genus Hystrix. The porcupine’s body is covered with flattened bristly hairs, spines which are up to 50cm long and black and white stout quills that grow up to 30cm long and erect for self-defence. Females carry an average one litter each year, and porcupettes are born in a litter of one to four. Cape Porcupines walk slowly and shuffle but can run when necessary. They are herbivorous. Their lifespan is 20 years.
Porcupines are also victim of motorbikes, cars and trucks that travel too fast on Clarence Drive and the village roads.
Porcupines and other wildlife are also trapped and killed by snares set in the Kogelberg Nature Reserve.
Article by Louise du Preez
SOME GOOD NEWS REGARDING THE SPEEDING PROBLEM ON THE R44!
The BBC is a member of the R44 Task Team and is currently involved in the education and communication subgroup as well as advocacy and the signage subgroups. If you have any concerns and input you would like to give, or you can offer skills as design, advertising, road engineering etc. to help with the campaign, then please email bettysbayconservancy@gmail.com or Carol on WhatsApp 079 7530166.