Creatures of the coastline

Published Sep 13, 2014

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Cape Town - Goodness, we have had a few cracking days of fine weather of late – more to the point, fine weather over weekends when we have the chance to make the most of them. Mind you, I can’t help but think that we aren’t entirely out of the woods just yet and it seems a little too early for summer to be starting in earnest.

It is far from unusual to have flooding and even snow well into October, but then again the natural world ticks along to its own clock and it is best just to take advantage of things as they are, without too much analysis.

So when we had fair weather, little breeze and gloriously warm sunshine last weekend I packed a picnic and headed out in search of the returning southern right whales.

The whales migrate thousands of kilometres each year between the chilly waters of Antarctica and their breeding and calving grounds off our coast, and I love to see them return. It has become something of a ritual. I either take a long drive, a walk along the coast or perhaps a boat trip so that I may experience these spectacular creatures up close.

It isn’t just the size of these animals that is impressive, but the fact that they appear to be maintaining a steady comeback after years of hunting and abuse by man. Thankfully today they are protected and it is a joy to consider these creatures, which we drove to the edge of extinction, are now becoming more numerous once again. I don’t suppose that whales could be described as pretty, but I can’t be the only one pleased to see them fighting back. I suppose everyone loves an underdog, even one which can weigh as much as eight African elephants.

The plan was to drive along the coast in search of the whales and to take a break near Hangklip for a picnic lunch on the beach. But nature is a funny thing and it isn’t just the weather that can catch one unawares. One can rarely predict what will happen when out and about and as a consequence I have learned to simply allow things to unfold as they will. The primary purpose of our trip was to seek out the whales, but as things turned out they didn’t prove to be the highlight of the day after all.

We did spot our first whale just outside Gordon’s Bay, but it was moving fast and the glimpse of a dorsal fin when it surfaced suggested it was one of our resident Brydes whales, and not the tourists we had set out to find. Wonderful to see though nonetheless.

So on arrival at Hangklip, and without any really serious whale spotting having been done, we headed over the dunes for some quiet time and to enjoy our packed lunch. A brief clamber over the dunes put us on a deserted beach, without sign of another human being, and it was then that our fortunes changed.

Not a whale in sight but a Cape clawless otter, who, taking exception to our intrusion, scampered down the beach and dived into the calm waters of the bay. This was a totally unexpected thrill. I love otters and to see one so close during the day was a real bonus. The Cape clawless otter is one of the largest otter species on the planet, second only to the giant otter of the Amazon Basin. Rather like the whales, otters were hunted extensively at one time and I can recall otter hunts disturbing my fishing as a child in the South West of England. Today the greatest threat is the destruction of habitat. They are notoriously shy and to get so close to one during daylight hours was a real bonus.

So we watched him swim about among the kelp for a while and I did my best to get a better picture, but he wasn’t having any of it and eventually moved further and further off shore. He eventually decided discretion was the better part of valour and disappeared under the waves, not to be seen again. I suppose if you are an otter it isn’t easy to tell the difference between a cameraman and a hunter so I didn’t begrudge his unwillingness to allow me any closer.

Eventually we packed up and headed back to the car to continue our whale-watching excursion.

Driving along the coast to Hermanus my thoughts were still very much with that otter. The sprawling development of houses all along the coast has to come at a cost to the balance of nature and I couldn’t help but think that every new foundation dug was a loss of habitat for creatures such as that otter. We eventually negotiated the urban sprawl which now surrounds the “whale capital” of Hermanus and did see some Southern Rights frolicking some way off shore. I only hope we have the sense to provide creatures like the otter the same protection that has seen the whales make a comeback such that perhaps one day the view of an otter on the beach won’t be quite such a rarity.

Sunday Argus

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