Strange things in our neighbourhood

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Gromit

Gromit

Tiger
Supporting Member
I don't know what's going on in our neighbourhood. We live in an urban, built up area but there's lots of big trees, gardens blah blah. First, we have a bushbaby living in a tree in our area and yesterday, a peacock came hurtling out of a garden and did a dash across the road - I didn't hit it but it was close. Then 2 guys come running out of the garden and start to chase the peacock back home - no such luck. The thing took off like the cartoon road-runner! At another house around the corner from us (we call it the hippy house), they have rabbits and chickens - these little creatures have made their way out of the property and have made nests on the pavement so when you go by the house, you have to slow down - I don't want to run them over. Now there's a problem at the golf-course............ lots of little bunnies running around making a mess out of the greens. Wonder where they came from?? Gotta luv living in the bad ol' city of Jozie! :happy:
 
There was a bunny in the parking lot at my gym the other morning at 4:45am...... maybe the bunnies are taking over the world! :ya2:
 
DaveB - move to Craighall Park but leave your rain spiders in Randburg! I have enough of them already. :ya2: I'm actually amazed that the Hippy-House chickens all survive and haven't ended up in someone's pot yet!
 
My daughter and her husband bought a new home in a subdivision outside of town that was carved out of deep forest. The developer didn't lay waste to the trees as many do and there is still lots of deeply forested areas around the homes. It's very common to see deer, rabbits, raccoons and all manner of wild life strolling through the property. There are no moose there, but there are black bears which stay well back in the deep forests so aren't a problem.
Unfortunately, there are coyotes and foxes which prey on domestic animals such as small dogs and cats. My daughter lost two cats this year and we suspect that either an aggressive fox or a coyote got them. Others in the area have also lost small animals.
Rabbits could be seen almost every day, but this year there have been few if any sightings. Speculation is that the predator's got them.
Nature can be very beautiful, but also very cruel. But that's just the way it is in the jungle.
 
I should have added that the hadeda ibis, whilst annoying us all with its incredibly loud squawking calls, is actually our friend. It not only eats snails and slugs in the garden, but does us all a big, big, favour by eating the digusting Parktown Prawn :y75:, a king cricket that is all too common here.

You can, if you're brave, read about the Parktown Prawn here:
http://www.insecta.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86&Itemid=99

Have a nice day now :ya2:.

DaveB.
 
I'm rather surprised that in Africa you don't have more natural habitat animals getting into the urban areas.

Practically every indigenous animal that lives in this area of the USA is seen around here getting into the cities. Not too long ago some cop took a lot of abuse for shooting a mother bear and her cub that wandered into the town. I was pretty outraged also....they didn't need to kill them. I have no idea why they didn't contact someone in the Game Commission to come and sedate them for relocation.
 
The urban areas are really densely built up. On the outskirts and on farms, yes, more 'wild' game come wondering in. On my sister's farm in 'Mpumalanga Province", they get lots of different antelope, black back jackal, bat eared foxes, baboons, monkeys, loads of snakes and too many beautiful birds to mention. But in the cities, none of the game animals. My sister did have a leopard on their farm but the conservationists trapped it and took it back to the Kruger National Park - they're not too far from the game reserve.
 
[quote author=The Seeker link=topic=11258.msg54230#msg54230 date=1291039970]
Not too long ago some cop took a lot of abuse for shooting a mother bear and her cub that wandered into the town.
[/quote]

Did the cop plant a gun in the mother's hand, er, i mean paw? :ya2:
 
There is a bald eagle that's made a home right in downtown Pittsburgh on a skyscraper. And there's been quite a few sightings of a mountain lion in people's back yards. Some folks have had their pets mauled and/or killed by wolves and coyotes in their own yards too.

I no longer live in an urban area so anything is possible out here in the country.

If you listen to guys that have been caught driving drunk after they've had an accident, evidently there are pink elephants that will jump out in front of your car too!
 
I watched a program on TV last night about a guy that went on a paid hunting excursion in the Arctic of Canada to hunt polar bear. He bagged this bear with a 300 yard shot. But when he got to the bear, it looked kind of strange. Since it's the law that he has to provide proof to the wildlife commission in Canada that he shot a polar bear, he took it to them. Under closer scrutiny, it turned out that the bear was actually a hybrid - Grizzly / Polar Bear. He was charged with a crime because his permit didn't allow for killing a Grizzly Bear. Eventually, he was cleared, but the wildlife folks were astounded that evidently a Grizzly and Polar bear had mated in the wild. They don't normally come in contact with each other as their habitats are so different.
 
I guess the hunter was supposed to have approached the bear, before taking a shot, and taken a DNA sample? Whomever charged him with a crime should be fired. Ludicrous and disgusting.
 

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