Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
FREE-roaming wild horses grazing in Fisherhaven. There are concerns over the traffic dangers posed by the horses.
THE wild horses of Botrivier Lagoon near Kleinmond have been described as majestic and a celebrated tourist attraction.
But residents from the surrounding areas of Hawston and Fisherhaven have raised concerns over the possible traffic dangers posed by the wild horses who regularly gallop across the R43.
There has been a collision at least once a year with a horse. The horses usually roam freely on the green fields near the lagoon but sometimes gallop across the road. Although there have been no fatalities, residents fear it’s merely a matter of time.
Robin Perrins, former chairperson of the Fisherhaven Ratepayers’ Association, said the issue of the horses’ safety was first raised in 2012, but since then nothing had been done to relocate the horses.
“A committee was formed with people interested in the horses’ well-being and we met quite often.”
Perrins said because no one could claim ownership of the horses, the committee made a decision to let the farmers in the area take them in and care for them, and there were landowners willing to do that. The plan never materialised. It’s believed the population of horses now stands at 10.
“There’s tremendous fighting among the stallions when the mares come into season; they go beserk, and that’s when I fear a passerby might get hurt,” said Perrins.
There are many urban legends as to how the horses came to be in Kleinmont. Some residents believe they were abandoned there during the Anglo-Boer War; others say they were left to fend for themselves when a local stud farmer left.
CapeNature spokesperson Tarcia Hendricks said: “CapeNature has no dealing with the wild horse; they’re regarded as feral animals, and not wild animals.” |