IN HARMONY: Duikers and guinea fowls eat together at the Norscot Koppies and Kigfisher Nature Reserve. The duikers may soon be relocated following instructions from City Parks.
In February this year City Parks convened a meeting with committee members of the nature reserves in Fourways to inform them that all game, this being various species of buck, had to be relocated. This was as per Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) rules which stipulated that game could not be kept on land that was less than 50 hectares in size. Also, City Parks did not have permits for the animals.
Norscot Koppies was asked to relocate its blesbok and duiker at its own cost.
Chairperson of the reserve’s committee, Mary Borkett said, at the time, they were prepared to abide by the City Parks guidelines in the best interest of the animals, but since then they have received requests from the local community that the game should not be moved.
Borkett said the committee was also worried that if the animals were relocated, the area would lose it’s nature reserve status. She questioned why the law was only being enforced by City Parks now as the GDARD rules have existed since 1984.
According to Bishop Ngobeli, manager of protected and conservation areas for City Parks, while developing ecological management plans last year City Parks discovered that its nature reserves did not have permits to keep wild animals. Permits were then applied for but an instruction was issued by GDARD to remove the animals.
Ngobeli explained that City Parks would not shoulder the cost of the relocation of animals from Norscot Koppies as they did not own the animals in the reserve, rather they belonged to the residents’ association. “They should take ownership and accountability of the animals including the costs,” he said.
Regarding Borkett’s concern that the nature reserve status would be lost if the animals were relocated, Ngobeli said, “Norscot Koppies and Kingfisher Nature Reserve have not been proclaimed as nature reserves, they are only referred to as a municipal nature reserves as per the old regulation.”
Despite City Parks’ instructions, the reserve’s committee is adamant that the animals are here to stay and are encouraging residents to take part in a poll on its website to establish how much support there is to keep game in Norscot Koppies and Kingfisher Reserve.
Details: www.norscotkoppies.co.za
Would you like to see animals in Norscot Koppies and Kingfisher Nature Reserve or do you think the reserve should comply with GDARD’s rules? Comment below, and let us know.
