Supplementary feeding in the Kloofendal Nature Reserve has started after an alarming rise in the deaths of Mountain Reedbuck in recent months.
While Johannesburg City Parks and Zoos (JCPZ), which manages the reserve, is not convinced that the bucks are dying due to a shortage of grazing, supplementary feeding is being rolled out as a precautionary measure.
According to JCPZ spokesperson Jenny Moodley, feed consisting of lucerne, pellets and other antelope pellets are distributed in different spots throughout the reserve.
Moodley adds that the cause of death of the antelopes is still being investigated.
• Read the initial article here: Concern over Reedbuck deaths at Kloofendal
“A carcass was handed to the zoo on September 1. We are still waiting for post-mortem results,” Moodley said.
Rumours of malnutrition have been doing the rounds for some time, with the blame for this being put on bush encroachment and moribund, a condition where above-ground grass material dies off.
JCPZ disputes this, saying that if the bucks were dying of malnutrition, they would likely be seeing species other than Mountain Reedbuck dying as well.
Moodley said that the JCPZ have tasked their ecologist to conduct a veld condition assessment, which will be conducted during the wet season when plants are flowering for a better identification of vegetation.
Meanwhile, the Roodepoort Record has received reports of another juvenile buck carcass that was discovered in the reserve on 21 September.
