Mammals on the Estate

While no specific studies have been carried out on the mammals of the estate, casual observations, over the years, have produced a long list of species.

The Aardvark (Antbear) is a shy and nocturnal animal and is not likely to be encountered by most people, but its existence on the estate have been confirmed by a few sightings. The same can be said of the Porcupine, which also spends the day in burrows. One will, however, come across the telltale scrapes made by the aardvark and the quills of the porcupine, lying in the veld.

There are many other nocturnal mammals which have been seen on the occasional night game counts. These include the Large-spotted Genet (often seen in plantations), Large Grey Mongoose, Cape Clawless Otter, White-tailed Mongoose, and numerous species of bats (which have not yet been identified). Regular sightings of a Caracal (Lynx) are always exciting, and Black-backed Jackal can be heard calling on most nights somewhere in the valley, and sometimes very near to the school grounds. A recent sighting of a Serval was most encouraging and it is an indication of the healthy state of affairs in the valley.

Many antelope species have also been recorded. Bushbuck and Nyala are common species of the valley bush, while Mountain Reedbuck are found only in the open grassveld around Supply Dams. A small party of not more than six Oribi is also found occasionally in the pastures around the new dairy but the future of these endangered antelope is uncertain. Grey Duiker are abundant and are found almost everywhere on the property. They are regularly seen on the school grounds and staff gardens in the evenings and early mornings, especially in winter. Their somewhat diminutive relative, the Blue Duiker, is also present in the thick bush, but is rarely seen, as it is an elusive species.

The recent construction of a game fence has allowed us to introduce and number of the larger mammal species into the Teapots and Gwen’s valleys. These include five giraffe, 10 Blue Wildebeest, 10 Burchell’s Zebra, and 30 impala. All these animals are doing well in this area.
Of the medium-sized diurnal mammals, the Rock Hyrax (Dassie) was once the most abundant. However, the population of these animals has crashed in recent years and only a few will be seen along the rocky ledges and outcrops on the Estate. Slender Mongoose is occasionally seen on walks through the valley bush and plantations. Scrub hares are often flushed in more open areas and also visit the school grounds and fields at night. The most interesting animal of this group, however, is the Natal Red Rock Rabbit which is exclusively nocturnal and spends all day in burrows along the cliff edges around Pinnacles and Ledges. Very little is known about this species and there have been very few sightings of these animals lately. They are prey to the caracal and jackal.

The versatile Vervet Monkeys are ever present and are usually seen in plantations, on the school grounds and in the maize fields where they are often destructive. Another problem species is the Bushpig, which is seldom seen but does do some damage to crops. It forages at night and probably spends the day in the thick riverine bush along the Gwen’s stream. Warthog numbers have increased dramatically over the past few years.

Very little work has been done on the small mammals of the estate, but rodents like the Striped Mouse, Single-striped Mouse, Multimammate Mouse, Woodland Dormouse and the House Rat are some of the species which have been trapped. The Forest Shrew and the Greater Musk Shrew are the only two species of this group known to occur in some numbers.

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