In the early hours of the morning, during the hottest midday sun or evening at dusk, the Silvermine River wetlands in the valley of Fish Hoek is the perfect natural setting in which to unwind.
The area is protected and stretches all the way from the source of the river to the small fynbos marshland just before it reaches False Bay. The marked paths are excellently laid out in a non-invasive way. As you travel along wooden and dust trails, at your own leisurely pace, you’re bound to meet fellow nature-lovers with their children, family and dogs.
The natural haven is accessible from every direction and there’s ample parking just off Main Road in Clovelly, Fish Hoek. People come here to experience the calmness of nature and to see the indigenous plants and wildlife. The wetlands are also home to a wide range of birds which can be spotted by avid and amateur birdwatchers, but it is mostly known as one of the places where the endangered leopard toad can be found.
The toads depend on wetland habitats such as coastal lakes, vleis, rivers and pans for survival but actually spend most of their time out of water. Home owners in the area will often find the small amphibian foraging in their gardens. The toads breed on sites with standing water between July and September. The female lays thousands of eggs which develop into tiny toads and leave the nest during October and November. Sadly, relatively few of the offspring become adults: most fall victim to a variety of predators and other hazards.
As a result, the western leopard toad’s very existence is threatened. In 2001 the small creature was added to the IUCN Red List category of endangered species. The toads have to navigate busy roads, canals, walls and other barriers when they migrate to breeding sites during the appropriate months. This means that many adults in prime breeding condition are killed before they can produce offspring. Artificial water bodies like canals, pools and vertical sides present additional deathtraps for the toads.
The species also occurs in protected areas such as Zandvlei Nature Reserve and the Cape Peninsula National Park. There is also a movement, the Toad NUTS, which is organised by passionate conservationists who make it their mission to educate people about the leopard toad and hopefully safe it from extinction.
The NUTS have night walks where volunteers get together and walk the roads with torches to find toads on the roads because night time is when a large number of the amphibians get killed by passing traffic. The group also encourages pool owners to install a device which makes it possible for toads that fall into the water to get out easily stopping them from drowning unnecessarily.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
