More buck for Paarl Mountain?
2009-12-10
Lise Beyers
PAARL Mountain could in the near future become home to an increased number of grys buck (grysbok). This news has come to light due to the closure of a nature reserve at the University of the Western Cape in Bellville. Now 50 Cape Grys buck need to find new homes. The Nature Conservation Corporation (NCC) has been communicating with Cape Nature and the authorities of Paarl Mountain as to the possibility of this relocation. Grys buck are small antelope, which fully grown only weigh 10 kilograms and are barely one metre from head to hoof. They are endemic to the Western Cape and feed mainly off fynbos. The odd Grys buck still roams on Paarl Mountain, but they are far and few between. Currently all concerned parties are being consulted about the possible acquisition, as to aspects such as biological, financial and institutional. It is estimated that under normal circumstances the reserve could house at least 130 buck. But concerns have been aired due to the fact that the mountain is not fenced off from the rest of the area, and this could encourage poachers to hunt the buck, as well as dogs going after them. It has also been reported in the past that farmers set traps for such buck because they feed on young shoots of vines. But the consensus is that more wildlife on Paarl Mountain could possibly contribute to tourism in the area.
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