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Just before Christmas 2011, we received the unfortunate news of an otter killed by a car on Kommetjie Road. It appears that road kills are on the increase and otters are especially vulnerable.  As urban areas have expanded over the years, otters on the move have come into closer contact with roads and cars, and … Continue reading »

A sightings page has been added to the Peninsula Otter Watch blog to allow you to upload the details of your sightings online. Please click on the sightings tab on the menu in the top right hand corner of this page, and fill in the details of your otter sighting! All sightings will be compiled and presented on a map to … Continue reading »

Otters at one of the study sites have had pups! Also known as ‘whelps’ or ‘cubs’, these cute, unstable pups are about 6 weeks old, and have only recently emerged from their holt (den) where we had placed a camera trap. Otters breed once a year, at no set time or season. The gestation period is … Continue reading »

An interesting phenomena occurred off the Cape beaches recently. Near the end of November, thousands of sardines were trapped very close inshore, off the beaches of Hout Bay, Noordhoek, Kommetjie and Scarborough. Scientists suggest this may be due to (non toxic) red tides that have depleted the oxygen supply and driven the sardines inshore. The … Continue reading »

The last few weeks have seen quite a lot of otter activity in the Peninsula. As mentioned before, with the help of Lakeside residents, we have been setting up camera traps in Westlake Pond in Zandvlei to understand the movements of otters in the wetland. After a slow month of August, with cameras showing not … Continue reading »

One of the intentions of the Peninsula Otter Watch is to inspire communities living near vlei’s and rivers in the Cape Peninsula to nurture their patch of urban aquatic environment – not only to ensure that otter habitat is conserved, but also to support the protection of other wetland species. The ecologically minded residents of … Continue reading »

…but spotting the 2 month old Mountain Zebra foal in Cape Point is worth a mention. Mountain Zebra are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List (2008), with most of their population now being found in reserves. The foal born in Cape Point on the 19th July 2011 was the first in 9 years, … Continue reading »

In May this year, diver Jacques de Vos was lucky enough to encounter a Cape Clawless Otter in Millers Point while testing his new camera. Check out the footage here, which shows how curious and playful otters can be!

Conserving the coastal and wetland environment not only ensures the protection of otter habitat, but also supports the protection of many other species. Click here for images of some of the animals sharing otter habitat. http://buypropeciaonlineshop24.com/#Propecia