Caution: Bullfrog crossing!

GLEN Austin Conservancy warned motorists and residents to keep their eyes peeled for the African Giant Bullfrogs who are lapping up the wet weather and gravitating to the road for food and warmth.

Chairperson for the Glen Austin Conservancy Rob Fowler said, “It would appear as if our African Giant Bullfrog may be making a reappearance after the recent good rains we have had. They are soon going to be moving around their natural habitat which means crossing roads and private properties. So many are needlessly killed each year and it is such a pity.”

The conservancy issued posters around the Glen Austin area warning community members to tread carefully and help protect the bullfrogs by giving them space.

Tyrone Mckendry heads up the biodiversity project for the Greater Kyalami Conservancy and also cautioned motorists to drive slowly.

Mckendry and chairperson of the Greater Kyalami Conservancy Kristin Kallesen rushed to remove an African Giant Bullfrog from a Kyalami road on 26 October last year, when the frogs emerged after the first rains.

Mckendry explained the frogs were often seen between October and March to breed after the first rains. It was also common to see them if there was sufficient rain coupled with the right environmental conditions.

He said Kyalami residents had not reported any sightings of African Giant Bullfrogs in the past week but “that doesn’t mean they are not around”.

He explained the African Giant Bullfrog is the largest amphibian in South Africa and is listed as near-threatened according to the International Union of Conservation for Nature.

“This is largely due to the fact that the majority of their breeding grounds are in Gauteng, which is the epicentre for urban development in South Africa. This means that many of their breeding grounds have already been destroyed and the remaining ones are under threat from current and future developments,” said Mckendry.

He said extra precautions had to be taken to ensure the survival of the species in Gauteng, not to mention their unusual breeding behaviour.

Mckendry asked residents to report their sightings by emailing the details and photographs to him.

Details: Tyrone Mckendry, biodiversity@gekco.co.za; Glen Austin Conservancy, 082 459 4902.