Table Mountain National Park Records Positive Festive Season Numbers
Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) recorded a successful festive season with visitor numbers, crime incidents and fires presenting an overall encoura...
Janine Snyman, a local Addo resident, was driving through the national park on a day visit with her husband when they noticed a young male lion lying in a grass patch close to the road.
Stopping to view the lion, they watched the young male get up and pick up an empty beer bottle that was lying in the grass in his mouth. The lion then sauntered over to a stone signpost, jumped on top of the signpost and lay down while watching another young male lion approach.
The lion later dropped the beer bottle and walked off in the company of the second lion.
“This is a powerful message to visitors to our national park to take care that they do not litter,” said the Park”s Conservation Manager, John Adendorff.
Adendorff said that the situation could have been much worse if the lion had broken the beer bottle and cut his mouth, depriving him of a means of feeding.
“The Park”s rules and regulations, including speed limits and bans on disturbing wildlife are in place to protect our wildlife as well as ensure the safety of visitors,” Adendorff added.
Adendorff also mentioned that some visitors disregarded Park rules by getting out of their vehicles inside the game area. People who wished to assist by reporting this bad behaviour could phone the manager on duty on 082 471 0267 or the Park”s reception on 042 2338619. Park staff could then react to the report while those transgressing were still in the Park.
Addo Elephant National Park is situated 40 km from Port Elizabeth and covers 180 000 hectares. The Park receives about 126 000 visitors a year.
Photo:
Addo male lion with bottle in his mouth. Credit: Janine Snyman
South African National Parks
Megan Taplin
Regional Marketing & Communications Manager
Addo Elephant * Camdeboo * Karoo* Mountain Zebra National Parks
Tel: 042 233 8609 or 083 650 8649