Protecting the last bush babies in Joburg
FOURWAYS – Johannesburg only has a few bush babies left, but they could be threatened by development. Find out more here.
There is only one group of bush babies left in Johannesburg, but looming development around the Waterford Estate could spell the end for this species in our city.
“At one point, Johannesburg had a large population of bush babies,” explained Alex Frost, the founder of Ecoculture South Africa. “But as the city grew, the species was pushed out by development until [this group] was the only one left.”
The bush babies in question are currently located near the Waterford Estate off Witkoppen Road in Fourways. Although it is hard to determine exactly how many of these shy creatures are left in the area, Frost told the Fourways Review that a group usually consists of between nine and 15 members.
The bush babies have made a small servitude area next to the estate their home. A ‘servitude’ is a small piece of land that is designated for a specific use, and in this case, the land was originally meant to be a road, although the area has remained largely untouched and is full of trees.
At least, it was expected to remain untouched.
Juliette Veitch, who has lived in the Waterford Estate for about 20 years and is principal of the Shining Stars Pre-school and Creche right next to both the estate and the servitude area, said that residents were informed in January of this year that the servitude had been sold. “We were told that the land had been sold to developers and that the window to raise objections had come to an end by the time we found out about the plans,” Veitch said.
“Apparently the developers want to build three-storey buildings on the spot.”
Veitch has spent the months since, trying to halt the development. She reached out to the Endangered Wildlife Trust as well as the Ecoculture organisation, which works with schools in order to educate children about the protection and conservation of green belts, for help. Together they approached the City of Joburg about the situation and an investigation has been launched, although no one seems sure of when it will be completed.
Veitch and her schoolchildren also hosted a Freedom Day picnic in the servitude recently and donated the funds raised to Ecoculture during a handover ceremony on 4 August.
The importance of these last bush babies should not be ignored, Frost emphasised.
“This land will support a certain number of bush babies comfortably, but once the population gets too big, individuals will need to leave the group and find somewhere else to live,” he concluded.
“Because the servitude is located right next to the Klein Jukskei River, those bush babies [forced to leave] could spread along the river and re-populate a huge portion of Johannesburg again.”
Should residents be more concerned with conservation or development? Have your say by tweeting @Fourways_Review
