Second giraffe from the Eco Estate dies
It has been confirmed that two giraffes died during the capturing and transport process of the animals on and from the Meyersdal Eco Estate on Thursday June 31.
One giraffe apparently died on the Estate due to stress during the capturing process and the second on the N1 highway when its head hit the Garsfontein bridge while being transported in an open trailer.
According to a resident at the Estate, “Proper procedures could have prevented the death of two giraffes from the Meyersdal Eco Estate.”
On Friday, a daily newspaper reported that an eyewitness saw the giraffe’s head hitting the bridge, then the neck just hanging and almost jumping up again due to shock. It further reports that when the witness saw the blood coming from the giraffe’s nose, he knew it was dead.
A resident in the Estate told said that this incident has come as a shock to all residents.
“It could however be prevented if it was not for one of our residents who lodged a complaint with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development about the animals being kept in an environment that is not their natural habitat, and that the necessary permits to keep them were not in place.
“How ridiculous is that. The Estate is unique in what it offers game in Gauteng and we were in the process of getting the permits. The only other place to see a giraffe would be to visit the Johannesburg or Pretoria Zoo,” he said.
The RECORD’s efforts to make contact with the resident, who apparently lodged the complaint, were unsuccessful.
“This is so sad. So totally unnecessary. The giraffe were so beautiful to watch. When they walked through the veld in their own graceful way, watching them gave you a moment to escape from the harsh realities of city life in the midst of city life,” said a regular visitor to the estate who phoned in and who wishes to remain anonymous.
The newspaper contacted the Estates attorneys for comment and received a release stating that the management and community of the Estate was shocked and deeply saddened about the incident and that they will give their full co-operation to authorities investigating.
It also states that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a permit to Ditjabe Wildlife Services to capture and transport the animals, and that they were assured that all ethical and legal requirements will be followed.
In a follow-up email the RECORD requested comment on the giraffe which died on the Estate and whether there are still any giraffes left on the Estate. Their comment read as follows:
* A total of six giraffes were resident at the Meyersdal Eco Estate.
* It has been widely reported that two giraffes were transported after being sold.
* Unfortunately a day prior to this, a female giraffe had died at the Estate during capture. The exact cause of death is not known as the buyer declined to have a post mortem performed on the animal.
* A total of three giraffes remain at the estate.
* Our client has been in constant communication with the Gauteng Department of Agricultural and Rural Development since 2013 regarding the giraffes.
* With regard to the remaining giraffes, our client is pursuing all possibilities to retain the remaining giraffe on the estate.
* We can confirm that they are in good health.
In the meantime, Ditjabe Wildlife Services’ Dirk Boshoff told a daily paper that the Garsfontein bridge was lower than any of the other bridges on their route.
However, in the same report, an engineer states that all the bridges on the highway are the same height, that there may be a difference of about 200mm to 300mm, and that the bridge in question adheres to all building regulations, leaving between 5.1m and 5.2m between the bridge and the highway.
Dirk Boshoff of Ditjabe Wildlife Services, told the RECORD to send an email with our questions and the phone went dead. The following questions were forwarded via email on Monday August 4 at 09:11, with a request that the RECORD needs an urgent response:
* Is it true that the first giraffe died on the Estate due to stress during the capturing process?
* If true, how could this happen?
* Did they plan their route ahead to ensure that the animals will at all times be safe and whether all bridges and obstructions on route would allow for safe passage of the animals?
At the time of going to press, Ditjabe Wildlife Services did not respond.
Tswana SPCA is investigating the accident and on Monday they were not aware of the death of the first giraffe. The NSPCA (the national body situated in Alberton) also confirmed that they did not know about the giraffe which died on the Estate but that they are investigating the incident.
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I saw those giraffes almost everyday, they were well fed and happy. So once again through people being nasty two beautiful animals lost their lives. Please leave the remaining animals to just be. Eco fight all the way you have my support.
People are treating animals like worthless thing but they are definitely not!I’m sickened to live in a world that this happens it never should EVER!
If this is true, that the managers of the eco estate had no say over the removal of the giraffes, they must now know (if they were not aware of it before) that removing and relocating any animal, big or small, is dangerous and more often than not , not succesfull, and results in a serious injury or death . They have ordered the removal of feral cats from the estate asap, or they would remove them themselves one way or another, not going into detail on what measures they would take. but as one of the managers blatendly admitted that while he was employed at Pilansberg Nature reserve , they had orders to shoot any cat on site, we can imagine on how they were going to solve the problem at the reserve. We ( a small organisation trying to help the feral cats in the South of Johannesburg , which have formed colonies, due to the fact that people have not kept their cats locked up for the required 6 weeks after moving into their grand houses, and have subsequently escaped and in time became wild and feral ) , have been ordered to trap and remove cats from the nature reserve as they are harming the wildlife .But as we can see , humans are the biggest threat to any wildlife, the death of these two magnificient, innocent giraffes is testomony to that. Dassies who have for centuries lived there, have also been labelled a problem, we humans, have infringed and trespassed on their land , but now we have a right to kill them as they are PESTS, in their own territory !!!!The planned expansion of office blocks and residential houses on both the meyersdal eco estate and meyersdal nature reserve , is the biggest threat to the remaining wildlife. All animals deserve and have a right and a say on how they should live their lives, if they seem happy , leave them alone. If documents were not in place that were required for the giraffes to be living at the estate , Whos fault is that ?.. obviously the “professional and Experienced ” nature conservationists employed by the estate. They have double standards and should be made accountable for their lack of professionalism, compassion and Knowledge. It is too late to save the lives of these 2 giraffes but not too late to save the lives of the remaining animals. Stop the building and spare a little bit of “heaven on earth” , in a beautiful landscape that was made for a tranquil life, for the resident animals that call it HOME.
If this is true, that the managers of the eco estate had no say over the removal of the giraffes, they must now know (if they were not aware of it before) that removing and relocating any animal, big or small, is dangerous and more often than not , not succesfull, and results in a serious injury or death . They have ordered the removal of feral cats from the estate asap, or they would remove them themselves one way or another, not going into detail on what measures they would take. but as one of the managers blatendly admitted that while he was employed at Pilansberg Nature reserve , they had orders to shoot any cat on site, we can imagine on how they were going to solve the problem at the reserve. We ( a small organisation trying to help the feral cats in the South of Johannesburg , which have formed colonies, due to the fact that people have not kept their cats locked up for the required 6 weeks after moving into their grand houses, and have subsequently escaped and in time became wild and feral ) , have been ordered to trap and remove cats from the nature reserve as they are harming the wildlife .But as we can see , humans are the biggest threat to any wildlife, the death of these two magnificient, innocent giraffes is testomony to that. Dassies who have for centuries lived there, have also been labelled a problem, we humans, have infringed and trespassed on their land , but now we have a right to kill them as they are PESTS, in their own territory !!!!The planned expansion of office blocks and residential houses on both the meyersdal eco estate and meyersdal nature reserve , is the biggest threat to the remaining wildlife. All animals deserve and have a right and a say on how they should live their lives, if they seem happy , leave them alone. If documents were not in place that were required for the giraffes to be living at the estate , Whos fault is that ?.. obviously the “professional and Experienced ” nature conservationists employed by the estate. They have double standards and should be made accountable for their lack of professionalism, compassion and Knowledge. It is too late to save the lives of these 2 giraffes but not too late to save the lives of the remaining animals. Stop the building and spare a little bit of “heaven on earth” , in a beautiful landscape that was made for a tranquil life, for the resident animals that call it HOME.
If this is true, that the managers of the eco estate had no say over the removal of the giraffes, they must now know (if they were not aware of it before) that removing and relocating any animal, big or small, is dangerous and more often than not , not succesfull, and results in a serious injury or death . They have ordered the removal of feral cats from the estate asap, or they would remove them themselves one way or another, not going into detail on what measures they would take. but as one of the managers blatendly admitted that while he was employed at Pilansberg Nature reserve , they had orders to shoot any cat on site, we can imagine on how they were going to solve the problem at the reserve. We ( a small organisation trying to help the feral cats in the South of Johannesburg , which have formed colonies, due to the fact that people have not kept their cats locked up for the required 6 weeks after moving into their grand houses, and have subsequently escaped and in time became wild and feral ) , have been ordered to trap and remove cats from the nature reserve as they are harming the wildlife .But as we can see , humans are the biggest threat to any wildlife, the death of these two magnificient, innocent giraffes is testomony to that. Dassies who have for centuries lived there, have also been labelled a problem, we humans, have infringed and trespassed on their land , but now we have a right to kill them as they are PESTS, in their own territory !!!!The planned expansion of office blocks and residential houses on both the meyersdal eco estate and meyersdal nature reserve , is the biggest threat to the remaining wildlife. All animals deserve and have a right and a say on how they should live their lives, if they seem happy , leave them alone. If documents were not in place that were required for the giraffes to be living at the estate , Whos fault is that ?.. obviously the “professional and Experienced ” nature conservationists employed by the estate. They have double standards and should be made accountable for their lack of professionalism, compassion and Knowledge. It is too late to save the lives of these 2 giraffes but not too late to save the lives of the remaining animals. Stop the building and spare a little bit of “heaven on earth” , in a beautiful landscape that was made for a tranquil life, for the resident animals that call it HOME.
If this is true, that the managers of the eco estate had no say over the removal of the giraffes, they must now know (if they were not aware of it before) that removing and relocating any animal, big or small, is dangerous and more often than not , not succesfull, and results in a serious injury or death . They have ordered the removal of feral cats from the estate asap, or they would remove them themselves one way or another, not going into detail on what measures they would take. but as one of the managers blatendly admitted that while he was employed at Pilansberg Nature reserve , they had orders to shoot any cat on site, we can imagine on how they were going to solve the problem at the reserve. We ( a small organisation trying to help the feral cats in the South of Johannesburg , which have formed colonies, due to the fact that people have not kept their cats locked up for the required 6 weeks after moving into their grand houses, and have subsequently escaped and in time became wild and feral ) , have been ordered to trap and remove cats from the nature reserve as they are harming the wildlife .But as we can see , humans are the biggest threat to any wildlife, the death of these two magnificient, innocent giraffes is testomony to that. Dassies who have for centuries lived there, have also been labelled a problem, we humans, have infringed and trespassed on their land , but now we have a right to kill them as they are PESTS, in their own territory !!!!The planned expansion of office blocks and residential houses on both the meyersdal eco estate and meyersdal nature reserve , is the biggest threat to the remaining wildlife. All animals deserve and have a right and a say on how they should live their lives, if they seem happy , leave them alone. If documents were not in place that were required for the giraffes to be living at the estate , Whos fault is that ?.. obviously the “professional and Experienced ” nature conservationists employed by the estate. They have double standards and should be made accountable for their lack of professionalism, compassion and Knowledge. It is too late to save the lives of these 2 giraffes but not too late to save the lives of the remaining animals. Stop the building and spare a little bit of “heaven on earth” , in a beautiful landscape that was made for a tranquil life, for the resident animals that call it HOME.
A full investigation should be carried out and the guilty ones must pay the price, and I don’t mean by paying a few Rands either, some time in the Brigg will sort them out.
What happened with the giraffe is extremely sad not only to the residents and the general public but I’m very sure also to everybody involved with the incident. I don’t believe that anybody who becomes involved with conservation do so because they like to see harm come to any animal.
If the government refuses to issue permits for the animals to remain on the premises the estate has no choice but to remove the animals. They are required to do so by law. The way the animals have been sedated and captured has not only been confirmed by a professional veterinarian to have been correct by also by professional individuals including the SPCA.
The fact that one animal died while being captured is once again unfortunate and sad but not the result of any negligence. It is also not true that the capture and transportation of wild animals are “more often than not” unsucessful and lead to fatalities. Yes this do happen, but there are always risks involved in any medical procedures not only on animals but also on humans. We all know that.
I am doubtful whether the killing of dassies on an eco estate would be authorised by any governing body because they are seen as pests and I would rather reserve any comments on that until it can be based on facts while the removal of feral cats seem to make sense as it is an eco estate and not a pet shop, but once again I think the attack on a personal level is unnecessary.
I would like the permits to be granted for the estate to be able to keep the remaining giraffe there but surely we all realise that should that not happen the estate would have no choice but to remove them as well. This is not due to people being nasty but simply being the laws of the country
People living in the Eco Estate have too much money and don’t know what to do with it.
The animals should have been left alone and not brought to roam in this “exclusive” area in the first place. They don’t belong there!
The permits should have been in place before the animals were relocated to the estate in the first place. Surely the managers of the estates should have been aware of the laws , before uprooting these animals from their original homes. The “feral” cats on the estate exist due to fact that when people moved in there , they did not lock up their cats for the required amount of time , that is necessary for them to climatise to their new surroundings, they escaped and formed colonies as they were not sterilized either. It is no fault of their own that they are living in horrible conditions in the bush. I did not mention that the reserve would kill the dassies. The government actually released permits last year for the authorisation of shooting Dassies as they are pests. I apologise if i was harsh in my statements, but animals seem to suffer traumatic consequences , due to us not thinking things through properly
This is another instance where money takes priority over everything else. There will be investigations, reports, recommendations and fingers pointed. However, in the end, it will drag on for months and get lost in the passage of time.
Unfortunately, it’s a sad reality.
The lady that has made all this trouble surely was aware of animals in the estate when she bought there. Perhaps she should find a more suitable estate to move to. The residents in the eco estate have money from hard work and probably providing jobs to many people. Since when has that become a sin?
It really amazes me how people can judge without having the full facts. It is implied that I am the resident that “supposedly” complaint to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Developments (GDACE)about the giraffes being in the estate without a permit. Although I was aware of other animals also being in the estate without the necessary permits, I did not lay any complaint with GDACE whatsoever. But it is so typical of the board of directors of the estate to find someone else to blame for their wrongdoing. The public should not blame the residents of the estate, as they are kept in the dark by the board of directors. The directors operate in a silent “mafia” style. By that I mean a “brotherhood” standing together to the detriment of the other residents. The board of directors was fully aware that they do not have permits for the giraffes and that they never will get permits from GDACE, before they brought the giraffes to the estate. I should know as I was sitting on the board of directors. Robyn who placed a comment on the 4th of August 2014, must give me her address, so that I can deliver to her all the boxes of files related to evidence of my investigations into the estate and surrounding area and which took me about 3 years to go through. Then she at least know what she is talking about before accusing the ‘nasty people’ in the estate of being responsible for the lives of the giraffes. If you do live in the estate, it is time that you catch a wake up girl. So by the way the giraffes were not the only animals that lost their lives. Maybe someone should ask the board of directors what happened to the Zebra that was darted and then drowned in one of the dams, before I get the blame for that incident too.
It really amazes me how people can just judge without having the full facts. I am the resident that “supposedly” complained to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDACE) about the giraffes being in the estate without a permit. Although I was aware of other animals also being kept in the estate without permits, I did not lay any complaint with GDACE whatsoever. But it is typical behaviour of the board of directors of the estate to find someone else to blame for their wrongdoing. I was also sitting on the board of directors and they were all fully aware that they did not have permits for certain animals and that they never would get permits for the giraffes from GDACE. The public should not blame the residents of the estate as they are kept in the dark by the board of directors. The directors even refuse to give me documentation that we as residents are entitled to. The board of directors operates in a “mafia” style, with that I mean a “brotherhood” standing together to the detriment of the other residents. Robyn who placed a comment on the 4th of August 2014, should give me her address so that I can deliver to her boxes full of documentation of the investigations I have made into this estate and surrounding area. This has taken me about 3 years to research and when she has studied all this she would be wiser. She would also be less inclined to talk about so called ‘nasty people’ in the estate being responsible for the lives of the giraffes. If you do live in the estate, it is time that you catch a wake up girl. As for Charlene’s comment of the 8th of August 2014, this ‘lady who made all the trouble’ has in fact been living in the estate way before the giraffes were illegally introduced into the estate, so I cannot see why I should find another estate to go live in. So by the way, the giraffes were not the only animals that have lost their lives in the estate. Maybe someone should ask the board of directors what happened to the Zebra that was darted near the dam and subsequently drowned before they accuse me for that incident too. This story is also unbeknown to the residents in the estate, like many other things.
As for Charlene’s comment of the 8th of August 2014, this ‘lady who made all the trouble’ has in fact been living in the estate way before the giraffes were illegally introduced into the estate, so I cannot see why I should find another estate to go live in.