The City of Cape Town has issued an alert over dogs being set free in the Table Bay Nature Reserve. According to a statement, the municipality has received increasing reports from bird watchers and visitors at the Rietvlei wetlands and the Milnerton coastal dunes, of the presence of dogs running off-leash in these protected areas.
These dogs often chase and sometimes kill rare and endangered birds and antelope such as steenbok and grysbok.
Mayco member for energy, environmental and spatial planning, Johann van der Merwe, says although portions of the reserve are designated for dog walking by sign-posted notices, there are no designated free-running dog parks in the nature reserve.
“We would like to stress that besides for these designated dog walking areas, no dogs are allowed in the Rietvlei wetlands and recreational water area.”
Rietvlei is a controlled access area where on-duty visitor controllers ensure that no dogs enter into Rietvlei. Despite these controls, dogs still manage to find their way into Rietvlei from adjacent residential areas such as Table View and Milnerton Ridge.
In terms of the City’s Animal Bylaw of 2010, dogs may not enter public spaces where they are prohibited by notice. In designated dog-walking areas, however, dogs must remain under control and on a leash at all times. Dogs may only run off-leash in free-running dog parks that are designated as such by a sign-posted notice.
The City’s Law Enforcement officers, supported by biodiversity management staff, have issued numerous fines, ranging from R500 to R2000, to dog owners who do not adhere to the City’s bylaws in the nature reserve.
In addition, as a protected area, proclaimed under the Protected Areas Act, all domestic animals such as dogs and cats that are found in such an area are deemed to be stray and may be removed.
The negative effects of free-running dogs in the nature reserve, apart from the killing of birds and animals, also includes the danger and disturbance to people. If a dog bites a visitor of the nature reserve, potential criminal charges and civil claims for damages could cause more trouble for dog owners.
It is also important to note that natural predators in the nature reserve, such as caracal, Cape fox and Cape clawless otter, could attack and kill pets or spread diseases such as rabies to domestic animals.
Report any unaccompanied domestic animals in the Table Bay Nature Reserve by calling 021 444 0315.
