Marloth Park to lose 800 animals
78% of total animal population will be removed in Marloth Park
MARLOTH PARK – Eight hundred animals have to be removed from this residential area and holiday destination in order to restore grazing. This comprises 78 per cent of the total grazing and browser population.
This figure was agreed upon during a meeting of the Marloth Park Forum on March 19.
The total numbers of game as per the aerial census, and the ground count at the end of 2014, were used to calculate the projected totals for 2015.
The total count was 1 021.
Senior ecologist Dr Johan Eskteen says the remaining 221 animals will hopefully be few enough to allow grazing to recover.
Mr Ralf Kalwa, the ecologist employed by the Marloth Park Property Owners Association (MPPOA) to do a complete assessment of the carrying capacity of the veld, warned that a drastic reduction in the number of animals was necessary.
The reported agreement shows that only 74 of the 624 impala and only 45 of the 195 warthog will remain.
A total of 37 kudu, 20 giraffe, 23 zebra and 22 wildebeest will also remain.
The date when the capturing will commence has not yet been announced.
