Halfway between Middelburg and Cradock you’ll find Conway with its railway siding, trading post and farms. In response to questions about jackal predation, I was told: “Vermin have got out of control since farmers began to drive around in their bakkies all day and don’t walk with their dogs or horse ride through the camps, checking fences and keeping an eye on the stock … that’s how vermin got out of control.”
Killing predators may decrease their numbers in the short term. But there is no evidence that it is an effective way to protect livestock in the long term.
A suite of camera traps supplied to WWF Conservation Champion farms in the Cape Winelands are revealing some surprise visitors – from leopards to aardwolf – and helping conservation-minded farmers better understand how to manage their veld.
The handbook for farmers, The Overberg Rûens Renosterveld, has the following words in bold: “Your patch is not a single piece of veld, but it is part of a critical network of one of the most threatened habitats on earth!”
Introduction Chancing across a steenbok on your farm can lead to a sense of mystery and fascination. You feel honoured, a witness to a world that passes unseen by humanity’s schedules and timetables. The presence of wildlife on farms is not always as discreet or innocent. A while back, the costs of livestock losses to […]
