Exploring Pigeon Valley: Red Duikers

This is the 23rd in an ongoing series that highlights the riches of Pigeon Valley, the urban nature reserve in the heart of Glenwood. The focus of this article will be on Red Duikers.

I once heard a baby crying In Pigeon Valley and became very alarmed that a mother had abandoned a child in the bush. When I went to check, I found that the baby was in fact a new-born Red Duiker – though you seldom hear that cry, it is remarkably evocative.

In fact, the most striking encounter for most new visitors to Pigeon Valley are the Red Duikers. I watch youngsters catch sight of one and get very excited at seeing something that is both wild but also pet-like. Indeed, these small antelopes have become very accustomed to humans nearby and often react only at the last moment when you are close by.

Originally, when Pigeon Valley was first fenced, there were perhaps three or four. Numbers, though, have grown, and in each clearing you will find one, two or even three feeding on their favourite, fallen fruit, or the leaves of the Buckweed (Isoglossa woodii, the shrub that covers large areas under the canopy) or of the Large-leafed Fig (Ficus lutea).

ALSO READ: Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Klaas’s Cuckoo

There are predators, such as the leopard and the Crowned Eagle, but the former is sadly long gone (though its presence might cause some anxiety among visitors) and the latter only a visitor. So some years back I began discussing the numbers with management. A careful census by the City’s Biodiversity Unit in late 2017 revealed that the numbers were now perhaps as high as 65. With the growth in numbers, some individuals have moved out of the reserve altogether and a few have been hit by cars, killed by dogs, or have even drowned in swimming pools.

There is now a resolution to the problem; on 18 June the first relocation started. This was to move about six Duikers to the Umdoni Park Reserve on the South Coast. After this, another group will be relocated to New Germany Nature Reserve. I will keep you posted!

Crispin Hemson chairs the Friends of Pigeon Valley, a group that undertakes clearing of alien plants, keeps records of bird and mammal sightings and alerts management to any problems.

The Friends have a monthly walk at 7.30am on the second Saturday of each month. Email: friendsofpigeonvalley1@gmail.com.