Porcupine spotted in the Klein Jukskei greenbelt
The reason we want you to keep your dogs on leashes, protect them from the wildlife #porcupine spotted on the river last [night] by Ralf Bitkau
A porcupine was captured on CCTV wandering in the greenbelt in Bryanston and Meadowhurst on the evening of 9 June.
Resident Ralf Bitkau, who lives next to the owner of the camera, gave the footage to the Klein Jukskei Greenbelt Initiative who in turn posted the video on Facebook.”We are not sure if there is one or more porcupines but we have always seen just one, and that started about three years ago,” Bitkau told Randburg Sun.
He said at one point, the porcupine even lived in a stormwater drain near his house.”I gave the latest footage to the greenbelt initiative to upload because since the river was cleaned people have been walking through it with their dogs off-lead. It has been so nice to see mongooses, ducks, geese, fish, birds and iguanas return since the clean-up. Having dogs run free puts these animals and their homes at risk.”
The Klein Jukskei Greenbelt Initiative posted the video on its Facebook page, calling for community members to keep their dogs on a leash when in the area.
https://www.facebook.com/KleinJukskeiGBI/videos/359248631720211/
“The reason we want you to keep your dogs on leashes, protect them from the wildlife #porcupine spotted on the river last [night] by Ralf Bitkau,” the brief post read. Just two days before this, the initiative posted a similar encouragement to residents to keep their dogs on lead in light of City of Johannesburg bylaws. That post read: ‘Hi guys so good to see so many folk making use of the KJGI/ SheerGuard SA trail.
Out of respect to all users please can we ask folk walking dogs please to comply with City of Joburg bylaws: Subject to section 16(1) of the Council’s Public Open Spaces By-laws, published under Notice 831 in Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No. 179 dated 21 May 2004, no person may permit any dog to be in a public place unless it is kept on a leash and under control of a person.’
The KJGI is a non-profit organisation that focuses on a 6km stretch of the greenbelt between Witkoppen Road and Malibongwe Drive.
