Cape Town - In what appeared to be an almost biblical scenario, Overstrand municipality found thousands of African clawed frogs, the Common Platanna, scattered across Onrus and Vermont neighbourhoods this morning.
Whale Coast Conservation scientist and environmental educator Sheraine van Wyk said the frogs were identified to be Platannas because their hind feet were fully webbed and the front feet were small.
Biodiversity conservation manager Tarron Dry advised residents to keep the Platannas in big buckets filled with water because they were amphibious and it was essential they remained in water.
“The buckets must be deep and have high sides in order for the frogs not to crawl out when volunteers carry them to the Vermont Salt Pan, where they will (most probably) be released,” said Dry.
Time was of the essence for these frogs because they needed to go back to into the water before the sun came out; those out of the water when the sun started coming out of the clouds would likely die, according to the municipality.
“After more information has come to light, it is now evident that the Platannas are migrating from the Vermont Salt Pan in a South Easterly direction towards the Onrus River.
“Around 1 000 rescued Platannas have already been released at a site along Peterson Street on the banks of the Onrus River,” the municipality said.
Liezl de Villiers, senior manager of the Overstrand Environmental Management Services (EMS) Department, would like to thank her team, as well as Whale Coast Conservation and many volunteers from Onrus and Vermont for their assistance thus far.
De Villiers especially thanked the young helpers and future herpetologists for their willingness to assist catching and releasing the frogs.
The municipality urged anyone that needed the frogs to be removed from their garden or swimming pool to phone the Environmental Management Section of Overstrand Municipality on 028 316 3724 / 028 313 5619 with your street address or visit their offices on the corner of Molteno and Viljoen Streets in Onrus.
