Rogue dogs responsible for wildlife losses

Gentle puppy, George:

With reference to the article "Keep dogs out of Mushroom Meander" (GH 16 August), Colin Ralston implied that the dogs of the general public, who frequent the Garden Route Botanical Garden, were the cause of four Bushbuck and two Water Mongooses being killed. Nothing is further from the truth, since two freeroaming huskies from the neighbourhood caused the havoc in the garden and killed the animals mentioned in a matter of a few months.

The carcasses were always found in the mornings, which indicated that the dogs entered the garden at night and attacked the nocturnal animals. The garden's management / trustees did not possess the fortitude to take the husky dog owner (who was known to them) to court for not only breaking the by-law about dogs having to be kept in secure enclosures and not being allowed to run free in open public places, but causing the death of these animals.

Blame

Instead, the blame has been placed on law-abiding dog owners who, after all, are the life-line of the garden by them paying an entrance / membership fee and are either going to encourage other people to visit the garden or discourage them. Ralston owes the general public who visit the garden an apology and should be taken to task by the garden's management for issuing statements which further antagonise the public towards the already not so hailed garden because of pettinesses and such untruths. If the so-called nature reserve is so sensitive, it is suggested that the parkrun's route be changed to be further away from the perimeter fence on the northern and north-western side, since on the one stretch it is less than three meters away from the path on the inside of the fence. Having 250 people chatting (some with dogs) and stomping past so close to the nocturnal animals' habitat does not appear to be a concern.

* This letter was sent to Colin Ralston and the garden's management for comment, but no reply was received at the time of going to print. Ed