Noordhoek Farm Village just received this update from Suzie and Alison of Toad Nuts…
with news of TV coverage from our endangered friends the Western Leopard Toad! See story below of the season update and tune into SABC 2 tonight – 19 Sept at 19h30 for coverage on 50/50 to see what all the fuss is about!
Hello friends of the Western Leopard Toad,
We have made it through our 5th patrolled breeding migration of our glamorous garden resident, the Western Leopard Toad. This year was a particularly challenging one with inconsistent rains leading to more ‘big’ toad nights than we have previously recorded. We usually have around 10 busy nights on which 30-50 toads are moved off our roads. This year we had around 25 busy nights on which approximately 10-30 toads were recorded!
This meant more patrollers out for more nights, and more motorists having to exercise extreme patience while we attempted to move hopping toads out of harm’s way. Here’s the final season’s tally:
| Alive: | Road kill: | |
| Noordhoek | 291 | 73 |
| Sun Valley | 118 | 3 |
| Fish Hoek | 50 | 3 |
| Clovelly | 66 | 5 |
| Kommetjie | 0 | 0 |
| Glencairn | 0 | 0 |
We are very concerned about the 30%+ road kill numbers on Noordhoek Main Rd and will be forming a working committee to find a solution to this worsening problem. If you have any ideas or suggestions, we want to hear from you!
Thanks to the many families and individuals who spent night after night driving our roads in search of toads. Thanks also to the many residents who moved toads off the roads without even being a trained volunteer.
BIG NEWS: Zach Vincent of 50/50 spent time with several volunteer groups examining the challenges our endangered toads face during the breeding migration. Tune in to SABC 2 19 Sept at 19h30 to see what all the fuss is about every year!
Yours with spots on,
Alison and Suzie
Toad NUTS
