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Written by Reneé Bish

Category: Conservation

Published: 15 July 2019

Hits: 2280

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Written by Reneé Bish

Category: Conservation

Published: 04 July 2019

Hits: 2083

• baboons

Betty’s Bay and Kleinmond baboon troops are one and the same. Today we responded to another call-out that a baboon troop was inside the residential area of Palmiet village. We soon found them walking through people’s yards, feeding on fruiting trees and foraging on lawns. We have been with them pretty much every day for the last couple of weeks. They are very relaxed around us and we are getting to know individuals.

One very positive outcome of todays visit was that we confirmed 100% that this was the very same troop that has been in the Sunny Seas area.

There is a Palmiet WhatsApp baboon alert group which seemed pretty effective in relaying the whereabouts of the visitors and after discussion with one resident an idea came to mind whereby a community, such as Palmiet, Sunny Seas, Jock’s Bay or the Caltex garage area in Betty’s Bay for example could each have a dedicated baboon-only siren/whistle to alert residents in the area.

This would have to be manned of course by someone. What do you all think of that idea?

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Written by Reneé Bish

Category: Conservation

Published: 26 June 2019

Hits: 2266

Betty’s Bay neighbourhoods are experiencing lots of visits from the baboons since the fire. I urge you all to read this article written by Jocelyn Mormet , who has been studying the baboon troop in Rooi Els. I have visited many homes, especially in the Sunny Seas area, who are upset with the amount on visitations they are getting.

Almost everyone I have been to has some kind of food out for the birds, mongoose or porcupines. They say they are not feeding the baboons—however baboons are omnivores - they eat anything! They love bird seed, they love porcupine veggies and they don’t mind eating mongoose meat! There is so much food out there for these animals. Have you seen a skinny baboon in our troop? Do they have lots of babies? Wild food has less calories so they’ll be occupied for longer if they forage naturally.

Please also encourange neighbours not to feed any animals. We are in the process of setting up a Betty’s Bay Baboon Action Group. In the meantime please do not hurt these animals. We live in a Biosphere Reserve and they are important to our eco system. They are also a lot of fun to watch. Go outside and just walk with them!

All photos ©Pete Oxford http://peteoxford.com

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Written by Pete Oxford

Category: Conservation

Published: 24 June 2019

Hits: 2139

I had a brief but fortuitous visit yesterday to Harold Porter Botanical Gardens and came across these two White-fronted bee-eaters (Merops bullockoides). Rare vagrants to our area they are way out of range usually found much further to the north and east of South Africa. These two however seemed quite happy sallying for insects often returning to the same perch. Midday sun wasn’t the best light but great to see them anyway.

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Written by Reneé Bish

Category: Conservation

Published: 01 June 2019

Hits: 2067

I walk Main Beach, Betty's Bay, everyday, proud to live alongside this designated Marine Protected Area ("MPA"—Ed). Yet, nearly every day I find another dead Puffadder Shyshark on the beach discarded by fishermen.

If you catch one guys, Put It Back Alive! Our MPA is suffering enough as it is from blatant, uncontrolled abalone poaching. Let's not be part of the problem too. Even These little sharks may be annoying to a fisherman but they are pretty cool, harmless (and necessary).

They are classified as Near Threatened, which means they are not in good shape already. When threatened they curl up like a doughnut to make themselves harder to swallow! They only live in South Africa. We should be proud of them.

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Written by Reneé Bish

Category: Conservation

Published: 01 June 2019

Hits: 2036

 We were in a meeting on the shore of Betty's Bay today when we got a call about a lot of commotion in the water off Sunny Seas. Was it the orcas?? Jumping up we got to see and watch a great display by a big humpback whale close to shore, probably about 30 tons. He was flipper flapping (a real term), slapping the water hard with his long pectoral fins. Usually the humpies are more active at the beginning of the season as they announce their presence and become boisterous in the excitement of the build up to mating. Once you see the large pectoral fin of a humpback whale it cannot be confused with any other. It gets to about 15 feet long!! Even their Latin name Megaptera novaeangliae means 'long-winged New Englander'.