🐾 Maybe the reason I love animals so much, is because the only time they have broken my heart is when theirs has stopped beating.
Showing posts with label walter sisulu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label walter sisulu. Show all posts

Saturday 10 August 2013

Serval (Stenostira scita)

Photograph: Roelof van der Breggen 

The Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden in Roodepoort (Gauteng, South Africa), in cooperation with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, the North West Province through the Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism as well as Gauteng Nature Conservation, have embarked on a pioneering camera-trap project to capture images of largely nocturnal animals in the wilderness/natural area of the Garden. High tech infra-red cameras are used to reveal what goes on in the animal world under the cover of darkness.

A Serval cat was the first animal to be recorded through this technology in the Garden and, according to Dr Harriet Davies-Mostert, Head of Conservation Science at Endangered Wildlife Trust, this is the first sighting of this cat species in Gauteng!

This project would later be rolled out to a wider area in the western parts of Gauteng towards North West. It would greatly assist in monitoring the extent and number of some threatened animal species that have been thought to be extinct in the area.

This Botanical Garden was founded in 1982, but has been a popular venue for outings since the 1800's. The Garden has been voted the best place to get back to nature in Gauteng for 9 years in a row and is one of my favourite places to regularly visit.

The natural vegetation of the area is known as the 'Rocky Highveld Grassland' and consists of a mosaic of grassland and savannah, with dense bush in kloofs and along streams. The variety of habitats accommodates over 600 naturally occurring plant species.

A breeding pair of majestic Verreaux's Eagles nest on the cliffs alongside the waterfall. The Garden is home to an abundance of wildlife with over 220 birds species recorded on site. There are also a number of reptiles and small mammals, including small antelope and jackals, which occur naturally in the Nature Reserve.


A Serval is a medium-sized, slender, African wild cat with long legs and a fairly short tail. It is nocturnal and hunts mostly at night, unless disturbed by human activity or the presence of larger nocturnal predators. Although it is specialized for catching rodents, it is an opportunistic predator whose diet also includes birds, hares, hyraxes, reptiles, insects, fish, and frogs. DNA studies have shown that the serval is closely related to the African golden cat and the caracal.

They are commonly found in savannah where there is plenty of water and they occur in most parts of Africa, with the exception of Central Equatorial Africa, the very southern part of the continent, and the Sahara region. These cats prefer bushy areas, tall grass and dry reed beds near streams and are also found on high altitude. They can live up to 20 years in captivity according to some sources. Servals’ spotted coats are sometimes marketed as young leopards or cheetahs and can attract a hearty price on the black market. This, as well as the Serval’s tendency to attack poultry, makes it a target for hunters. Consequently they are no longer found in heavily populated areas, yet, as nocturnal animals, they may still be around though not in greater numbers.
Source: Wikipedia

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Sunday 6 November 2011

Crocodile in Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens



What if you decided to visit a Botanical Garden and, while enjoying a nice and relaxing picnic, you were suddenly faced with the jaws of a crocodile some metres away? That possibility is now a reality at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden (Roodepoort, Gauteng, South Africa) after an approximately 80 cm young crocodile made the waterfall its new home. It has been named Snapper.

It was first sighted by a visitor, Vimal Sewlal, who took a picture of it whilst trying to capture the majestic flow of the water at the waterfall. He told the staff on duty about his scoop. This was dismissed as there was a possibility that it might have been mistaken for a huge monitor lizard sighted at the Garden a few months earlier. He then forwarded the pictures to the office proving beyond any doubt that we had a real crocodile on the estate.

Professor Graham Alexander, a reptile specialist, confirmed that it was indeed an indigenous Nile crocodile that was probably kept as a pet and might have escaped accidentally or was released on purpose by its owners. ''People are not responsible with these dangerous animals and it's highly likely that the owners did not have a permit and decided to release it in the Garden'' he said.



He said the predator was unlikely to make the waterfall its home as the area is too cold. At its age it is not yet a danger to humans although as young as it is, according to Prof. Alexander, it can deliver a nasty bite to anyone encroaching on its territory.

The Garden management is in the process of getting the young crocodile relocated but still working on procedures with the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding a permit. The new tenant has become a draw card and talking point of visitors who come to the Garden. He became a celebrity when he featured on the second page of some national newspapers on 21 October. People have been descending on the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden over the past weekends in the hope of glimpsing this beautiful reptile. It can usually be seen sunbathing near the waterfall. Snapper is probably feeding on frogs, fish, birds and crabs. The Garden is now home to the king of the sky (Black/Verreaux's Eagle) and the beast of the fresh water. Coincidentally the river that runs through the Garden is known as Crocodile River. Visit us on www.facebook.com/wsnbg to see more.
- Taken from my WWBG Newsletter

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