Page 20 - Thola Issue 17

18 Mammal Department
ABOVE: Camera trap photos of duiker and genet in PMB botanical gardens.
Lastly, we were invited by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) to assist them with conducting
a small mammal survey of the natural areas of the Pietermaritzburg Botanical Garden. Unfortunately, we had low trapping success owing once again to poor weather conditions. Our camera traps did, however, record interesting larger animals, including Large-spotted Genet and various duiker species that frequent the more wooded and forested areas. Hopefully we can conduct another survey of the area in 2015.
REFERENCES
Larivière S. (2001). Poecilogale albinucha. Mammalian species (2001), 1-4.
Rowe-Rowe D.T. (1990). The African weasel: a Red Data Book species in South Africa. Mustelid and Viverrid Conservation 2:6-7.
Karoo-Pred-a-Tours (read more about CCT in this edition). Zama and Mpumi got their first look at live African Serval, Caracal, and African Wild Cats. We then made our way to Grahamstown, and sampled in and around the 1820 Settlers Monument, as well as the Makana Resort located on the outskirts of the town. Our target was to collect much needed samples from Dendromus and Mus species.
Our last port of call was Mount
Currie Nature Reserve in Kokstad. Mount Currie is an important reserve for the Endangered Oribi and African Wild Cats. The weather gods decided to play havoc with our plans, sending rain our way for three consecutive days, dashing all our hopes of a successful survey. We did manage to squeeze in
a reconnaissance of the reserve when there was a slight break in the rain clouds. A survey is planned for the latter half of 2015.
TOP LEFT: Swinny’s Horseshoe Bat.
TOP RIGHT: The Mammal team bumped into Hillary and Tom Vickers at Ndumo Game Reserve. Hillary was a former Education Officer at the Museum. She could not wait to read her copy of Thola. LEFT: The Mammal Team and US researchers in Grahamstown.
RIGHT: Marion Holmes, founder of CCT, feeding one of the African Wild Cat kittens.
I was delighted to see that the resident population of Egyptian Tomb Bats (Taphozous perforatus), a new species for South Africa discovered in 2011, has grown in number and that the individual bats are fit and healthy.
thola: VOLUME 17. 2014/15
Photo credit: S.V. Drovetski Photo credit: P.J. Taylor
Photo credit: L.R. Richards