Gantouw Pass Holiday Home

Quite the little traveller

Monday motivation as shown by one of our tracked Cape Vultures off the breeding cliff at the Potberg colony in the Western Cape "be yourself and venture where your wings take you. Follow your own path as success lies in the journey"

This particular nestling has totally blown us away. It was always assumed the Potberg Cape Vultures were isolated and remained in fairly close proximity to the colony. While, this individual has blown that theory completely out the window as he is now visiting the Eastern Cape and venturing amongst our released captive bred released offspring after spending just a few days in Namibia.

Vultures never seem to amaze us and this one has really wowed us!

Today we share with you this very beautiful equine, called the Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra). They occur in very different geographic areas and habitat than the better known ‘normal’ plains zebra (Equus burchelli), but they also look significantly different.
The Cape mountain zebra’s stripes do not extend onto the belly; the stripes are clearly contrasting black and white without any shadow stripes in-between; the legs are striped all the way down to the hoofs and do not fade out on the lower legs; their stripes form a perpendicular grid-iron pattern on the rump; the muzzle is black outlined with chestnut; they have larger ears; and finally, they have throat dewlaps! All of these characteristics can be seen on this great camera trap photo.
The Cape mountain zebra is also smaller than the plains zebra: males weigh on average 250-260 kg and is around 1.3m high at the shoulder. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and is native to mountainous regions in the the Western and Eastern Cape.

Happy Caturday!🐆
A stunning male leopard caught on camera trap in the rugged mountains of the Cederberg Wilderness, Western Cape, South Africa.
📸 Cape Leopard Trust

Kelp: South Africa's Golden Forests

~ 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻?
If you are spending time in nature anywhere in the Western, Eastern or Northern Cape this festive season, please keep your eyes peeled for any field sign of leopards (spoor, droppings, scratch marks on trees) and any potential threats to leopards (like snares and traps). Record these and submit your records to our online database at https://app.capeleopard.org.za
Your data can help us determine suitable leopard habitat and predict leopard movement corridors in the Cape region.

:) Whale ego!!

Daily Room Rental rate: R1000 / day, maximum 2 person occupancy

Message for availability.

Included:
On-suite bathroom
Unlimited wi-fi
6km secure bridle path for walking, running or cycling.

By Arrangement:
Local hikes and outings
Rock Climbing
Full board

:')

That time of the year again... young ones abd the chickens have a hard time

~ A heartwarming capture on a chilly day! This little genet family was caught on camera in the Walker Bay Fynbos Conservancy during our recent collaborative Overberg camera survey. Large-spotted genets (grootkolmuskeljaatkat ~ Genetta tigrina) weigh around 1.5-3.2 kg as adults, but babies weigh only 50-80g at birth. 2-5 young are born during the summer months, after a gestation period of ~70days. This mom seems to be having her paws full with her 2 adventurous little ones!

Looking for single mature Lady without pets who likes cats. Room is furnished

some of the beautiful sights on hikes in our area. Speak to me about joining a hike to see these places that are not on any commercial ticket!

Help! There is a toad in my garden!

With the annual endangered Western Leopard Toad (WLT) migration about to get underway, thought it a good time for a quick Leopard Toad mindfulness post.

They are endemic to the Cape, and many gardens in the Southern Subs and Deep South are fortunate enough to have a resident toad or ten. An indication of a healthy ecosystem at home.

They live in our gardens all year, often burrowing under pavers or deep into the soil, and emerging periodically (normally warm damp evenings ) to feed.

Whilst the leopard toad does have the ability to secrete a mucosa which can be a serious irritant or toxic to pets, they need to be seriously injured (used as a chew toy or run over) in order to do so. Most live long and happy existences in the garden, living peacefully alongside domestic pets (ours use the dogs indoor and outdoor water bowls for a rinse off!)

So unless you have a very prey driven Jack Russel who is determined to convert the resident toads into lunch, it is best to just leave them in your garden. They home to a property, and are territorial, and so will come back again and again to the same place - each time risking dangers on the journey.

And that brings us to the migration - once a year, in late winter or early spring, all the WLT's undertake a treacherous journey to the local streams and water bodies to mate and lay eggs and then need to navigate their way back to their home gardens. This takes place over a 3-4 week period, and is staggered across the areas (so the toads in Noordhoek may have finished their migration before the Kirstenhof ones even start).

Please be extra vigilant on the roads for the next while, watch local community groups for news of the migration, and check under car tyres before pulling off in the morning.

New town planning regulations require that all homes in areas populated by the WLT have a perforated boundary, to allow for ingress and egress - if you dont already have such, maybe consider inserting a thick plumbing pipe to connect the inside and outside of the property and provide a passage or tunnel for toads and other small wild creatures.

Other than cars, another increased hazard at this time are swimming pools - it is recommended that all households in these areas with a pool install a simple toad saver - literally a piece of shadecloth glued over the one corner of the pool and floating into the pool, thus allowing small creatures to use it as a ramp to claw their way out.

If you are driving home and encounter a toad on the road, please safely stop (hazard lights!!) and taking note of the direction the toad is moving, gently scoop it up and place it on the pavement in the direction of movement.

Nope, toads are not slimy, they will not cause warts, and you cant get sick from them. Sadly we are yet to encounter one who turns into a handsome prince when kissed either, so rather dont risk giving him human diseases trying!

If you would like to join one of the local groups of volunteers who head out in the evenings to es**rt the toads on their migration over this time, please drop me a whatsapp 0827803955 and will connect you with your local area coordinator.

Sometimes the best thing to do is just to sit and watch.

Hermanus offers some of the best land-based whale watching in the world! Pack your binos and grab one of the best seats in the house, right in front of The Marine.

📷 Instagram | thejustinbarnette

Unfortunately tourism will be harmed by lack of local govt foresight

The eminent Dr Jo Barnes comments on the New General Discharge Authorisation (info attached below):

"Reading through this piece of legislation is very disappointing.

• There are NO microbiological indicators required, so it means that any authority can send any amount of sewage through this system. I assume that is to give the coastal municipalities an escape option regarding their marine sewage discharge.

• The window of testing about provided for in this legislation is far wider than safety dictates. This legislation has no ability to protect either human life or the environment against risks regarding marine discharge pf waste. It provides for 4 samples during the first year and then 2 samples per year. after that.

This means that any amount of highly contaminated discharge can be sent out to sea, and then withheld for a brief period just before sampling. 2 samples a year (or 4 for that matter) do not in any way provide surveillance of the risks posed by such discharges. This stipulation is simply inadequate and even irresponsible.

• I am not sure that I follow the “GDA applicable/ not applicable” depiction in the maps supplied. Is the area for Cape Town marked as “GDA applicable” somehow guaranteed to have more benign sewage than the rest of the area?"

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According to an Advocate of the Environmental Justice League, the following has been published:
INTEGRATED COASTAL MANAGEMENT ACT:
New General Discharge Authorisation
15 July 2022 – Minister of Environmental Affairs has recently published a General Discharge Authorisation in terms of section 69(2) of the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act 24 of 2008.

What is a General Discharge Authorisation?

It is an authorisation which is granted to any person discharging effluent into coastal waters from a land-based source where the effluent meets certain criteria and requirements laid down in the general authorisation.

This means that the persons concerned do not need to have a permit in terms of the Act for the discharge into coastal waters.
Obligation to notify

However, a person intending to discharge effluent has an obligation to notify the Department in writing of the intended discharge and providing necessary details as outlined in the authorisation.

Areas not covered by the authorisation

Discharges into certain bays and estuaries as well as marine protected areas and special management areas, do not fall under the general authorisation.

Monitoring requirements

In terms of the general authorisation, the person discharging effluent must monitor the quality of the effluent on a quarterly basis for the first year of operation and submit the results to the department, and thereafter monitor every six months and report to the department accordingly.
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Rivers are flowing and waterfalls are wowing..

Bainskloof Waterfall, what a sight to behold!.........................................................⁠
Interested in purchasing a print of this photo? Follow the link below or send me a personal message.
https://nickjoubert.com/product/20200628-bain-0064/

I got up at 4:00, drove for more than an hour and was rewarded with a magnificent display of light, all the while these Botriver sugarbushes were in bloom. What a sight to behold!.........................................................⁠
Interested in purchasing a print of this photo? Follow the link below or send me a personal message.
https://nickjoubert.com/product/20210821-klei-0096/

We are at the tip!!

Cucumber supports allow this popular crop to grow up instead of along the ground. This tends to keep them disease free and healthy....Lettuce love the shade and grow beautifully underneath, two crops for the space of one.....

Photo thegardeningcook

Cape Town friends, please assist if you find any of these babies washed up on our shores, such as those found in Fish Hoek, Muizenburg and Strandfontein today. You can contact SPCA Wildlife 064 363 4455 or Two Oceans Aquarium who are standing by to advise if you find any turtles and need to know what to do.