A wine estate located in the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality may seem an unlikely location for wildlife, but Vergelegen in Somerset West has over the years introduced rare quagga, eland, and bontebok – once considered the rarest antelope in the world – into a 1 900ha nature reserve.
The reserve was declared in 2019 following the conclusion of a lengthy Vergelegen project, from 2004 to 2018, to clear 2 200ha of alien vegetation. This is believed to be the largest privately funded alien vegetation clearing programme in South Africa.
Bontebok were the first new wildlife arrivals, introduced 15 years ago when it was noted that the local Helderberg Nature Reserve had insufficient grazing to support all its bontebok. Some mineral deficiencies, especially zinc and possibly copper, were becoming apparent. Thirteen bontebok were captured and transferred to Vergelegen, with the understanding that nine animals would always belong to the City.
There are now approximately…
