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Knysna's Bokkies - Bushbuck in Knysna

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One of the incredible joys of visiting Knysna is experiencing the Wildlife, especially in the Brenton Peninsula. One of the most common antelope species found in the area is Bushbuck. The smaller "cousin" of the Kudu and Nyala, these beautiful browsers are some of the most beautiful and graceful animals to watch. Even though bushbuck can survive in both moist and dry climates, they require habitat that provides enough food and shelter from the predators. Bushbuck are threatened by habitat loss that has already eliminated several populations of these animals. Luckily, bushbuck is still numerous in the wild and it is not listed as endangered species. Interestingly  enough the body of bushbuck are covered with fur which color depends on the habitat. It can be yellow, reddish or brown. Bushbuck that live in dense forest have darker fur as can be seen in the Knysna area. Unlike other antelopes, bushbuck do not tolerate birds that remove insects from their fur and tend ...
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Slime Mould - Rethinking Intellegince

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Slime Mould - The name really doesn't do these organisms justice, it rather sounds like an insult you would use to describe the guy that revs his motorbike 5 am on a Sunday morning, but do not let the name fool you. These single-celled organisms without a brain are changing the way we define intelligence. The name slime mould actually refers to more than 900 species found on every continent on the planet. Despite the name, they do not fall under fungus but rather under Protists. These guys have been around for at least 600 million years. These single-celled Amoeba-like organisms have their own DNA just like humans and animals. (Side Note: Mushrooms also have their own DNA) They come in all shapes and sizes, but the ones we are seeing in Knysna the fires of June 7, 2017, are bright orange in appearance.  All Slime mould start life as single-celled organisms, but when food (Microbes) is scarce, they join up to form a bigger mass, using chemical signals ...
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Location: Knysna, South Africa
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Microplastics - The Silent Plastic Killer

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Y ou may not have ever heard the term ‘ microplastics ‘ before, but for the last 50 years, tiny particles of plastic are used in many cosmetic products like scrubs, shower gel, shaving creams, toothpaste, hair spray, and eyeshadows. Microplastics are replacing natural options as it is more cost effective to Multi-Million Companies. They are even used as bulking agents (Makes you think there is more in the bottle than there actually is) The exfoliating type shower gels can typically contain an amount of plastic in microbeads equivalent to the packaging in comes in.  They  land up in the global oceans where they cause serious harm to marine life,   and then in turn humans who then consume seafood. Microplastics are tiny pieces or particles of plastic many are invisible to the naked eye. Microplastics pollute the ocean and can have toxic effects on biological organisms that ingest or absorb them such as dolphins, whales, and fish. Washed down the drain, those p...
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Location: Knysna, South Africa
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The Brave Little Orphan

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This is the story behind our newest member of the Brenton Peninsula Bushbuck Family...  On the morning of the 12th of October 2017, a  doe gave birth to a seemingly healthy fawn. She must have fallen pregnant just before Knysna fires of 7 June 2017 as bushbuck have a gestation period (the duration of the pregnancy) of about 6 months. Unfortunately the young doe left the fawn umbilical cord and all right where she gave birth, now there may be various reasons for this, it could have to do with the recent stress the bushbuck have been going through including a shortage of food, despite the green appearance, most of the plants growing are inedible to the bushbuck, like the Bracken Fern. The truth is we will never really know. Day one went by and mom didn’t return, the same thing happened day two and by day three a very Weak, dehydrated and frightened little fawn still walking around with its afterbirth,...
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Location: Knysna, South Africa
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