SA roads a dead end for rare animals

From African wild dogs to endangered frogs, the traffic on South African roads is a death knell for animals big and small, says the Endangered Wildlife Trust.

EWT's wildlife and transport coordinator Wendy Collinson said although it is usually birds or snakes that are killed, black-backed jackal, bat-eared foxes and owls were among the recent casualties.

The Western Leopard Toad - listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature - has been one of the animals most threatened by traffic, with more than 500 road casualties since data on the species started to be gathered in recent years.

EWT has set up fences along designated roads in the Western Cape, successfully curbing the number of toads being run over.

Since collecting data, Collinson has been alerted to the deaths of 111 red-footed falcons, 56 owls, 52 bat-eared foxes, 48 tortoises, 15 African wild dogs, three lions, a leopard and a white rhino on roads.

There are believed to be only 450 African wild dogs still in existence.