Jim Freeman
Apart from ogling vultures, De Hoop is a bird and whale-watcher’s paradise as well as a fantastic destination for hikers and mountain-biker.
De Hoop. Picture: Jim Freeman
Vultures, as anyone in nature conservation will tell you, get a bum rap. Far from being the ruthless and ghoulish killers they are often portrayed to be, they do their job of clearing the veld of carrion remarkably efficiently and are a game ranger’s most unlikely ally in the war on poaching. One of the quickest ways of detecting the presence of poachers in a game reserve, a ranger told me recently, is to watch for circling vultures. Their ability to spot a kill virtually before the blood has cooled means you might be too late to prevent tragedy but...