It’s not every day that you get to rub noses with eland but that’s what happened on Saturday August 4 when citizen scientists got up close to these charismatic creatures. The surprise visit was made possible after the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA (WESSA) Big Friends Group (BFG) get together. Held at Rondevlei Nature Reserve five eland were re-introduced to the reserve in 2015 as part of the Gantouw Project, a veld management tool. The theme for this year’s annual event was urban conservation where guest speakers highlighted the need for civil society to get behind rampant development of open spaces, including protected areas.
