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Kleinmond Lagoon breaches
7 AUGUST 2019
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Your guide to the Kalfiefees
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Culinary meander Elgin & Bot River
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Dyer Island Cruises has been enjoying encounters with Humpback Whales around the island near Pearly Beach over the past few weeks. This breaching Humpback Whale was one of three seen on 22 July. Dyer Island Cruises, based in Kleinbaai, has also reported sightings of Southern Right Whale mating groups that are starting to visit our shores. PHOTO: Jax Bath, Dyer Island Cruises
Clarification on baboon issue Writer De Waal Steyn
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fter more than 18 months of wrangling over who is responsible for the management of baboons in the Overstrand, the municipality last week received a mandate from the provincial government stating that it is the municipality’s obligation to manage these animals. According to Ward 3 councillor, Kari Brice, the mandate was received after “relentless negotiations between mayor Dudley Coetzee and the provincial government. At last we succeeded in securing the approval from Anton Bredell, MEC of Environmental Affairs
“The mandate must now be ratified by the Western Cape cabinet, but in terms of this agreement the Overstrand Municipality may implement measures to curb the contentious baboon problem. As you are well aware, it has been an extremely frustrating journey for all concerned,” Brice said.
Department is totally aware of the urgency regarding the implementation of this project, but it will take a few weeks for contracts and training to be consolidated. I am truly overjoyed by this announcement as I too, have worked tirelessly in searching and pleading for potential solutions and funding, only to be thwarted by policies.”
This follows the implementation of a virtual fence in 2017 aimed at keeping baboons out of Voëlklip. But due to a lack of funding the project ground to a halt after an initial three-week blitz by Human Wildlife Solutions (HWS), the manufacturers of the virtual fence, that kept the Fernkloof troop out of the affected suburbs for more than 90% of the time.
According to her, an amount of R2 million has been budgeted by the municipality and this will be used for baboon control measures throughout the Overstrand. “Our Environmental
The management of baboons has become a contentious issue after continued incursions by baboons in suburbs across Hermanus have left residents at their wits’ end.
The virtual fence is made up of a sophisticated radio transmitter system that relays the movements of a troop to a cellular phone. If a troop moves too close to a residential area an alert
and Development Planning.
is sent out and baboon monitors deploy sound boxes that emit sounds of predators roaring, animals dying and other frightening sound effects, including bear bangers that make a loud banging noise. The baboons are tracked via collars attached to the troop leaders. The sounds create a “landscape of fear” for the baboons and they are hesitant to move into an area with which they have come to associate the sounds. Continues on P 3