Feeding wildlife is as good as signing their death warrant
It is sad to see the sight of wildlife moving closer to the main roads, but despite what you feel, resist the urge to feed them, because in the long run you will cause their death.
Sightings of wildlife, like kudu, baboons and warthog, are becoming more frequent along the R37 between Burgersfort and Lydenburg. Despite the recent rains, the bush veld is still as dry as a bone. It becomes harder by the day for animals to find food, forcing them to venture closer to the road where green grass grows underneath barricades.
Steelburger/Lydenburg News reported on this problem regarding baboons a while ago. Since then the problem has persisted, and even taken a turn for the worse.
“Baboons are not the problem. They are the victims.” This is according to Gregg Mitchell, a nature conservationist at DIY Wild at Badplaas. Feeding baboons makes them lazy in seeking food themselves. People also find it amusing to stop and feed them by throwing leftovers out of vehicles, driving off and not thinking of the consequences. If these animals learn that food comes from vehicles, they will stop foraging and wait for the easy meal that might never come again.
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Another familiar sight is a warthog male and a mother with two babies along the R37. They graze on green grass next to the road. The lonesome male sometimes kneels down or just stands in the road. Drivers must be cautious when driving on the Waterfall Pass, keeping the speed limit in mind to avoid an accident with the animals.
Kudus are also common on this road, mostly at night, but lately, more and more sightings are reported of kudus next to the road during daytime.
Whatever you do, do not feed any wildlife. They have managed to survive without the help of humans for many years, and there is no need to interfere now.
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“There is a need to feed wild animals in times of severe drought, but that is done by the landowner on the farm by dropping bales of dry feed like lucerne or hay, not by hand-feeding. The wild animals do not become habituated to people if farmers supplement grazing and browsing by this method.
“Giving food to primates is a death warrant and also not healthy, as they are foods that their system is not accustomed to. We all know the wildlife is suffering severely, but to feed animals in the road verge is terrible, as it not only compromises their own survival, but also poses a risk to other travellers,” commented Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, director of Griffin Poison Information Centre, animal activist and nature conservationist.
