Their world is shrinking

I was lucky enough to be brought up in Rhodesia - now Zimbabwe and I lived in a game reserve, at Victoria Falls, at Kariba and on a farm, so I have always had a love of nature and wild life.

I now live in Cape Town which is lovely, but it saddens me to see how development has slowly encroached on what used to be spaces where creatures could call their own.

Both animals and birds have been forced to look for food etc., in residential areas and too often get killed as they try to survive.

In the area where I live, I watch guinea fowls running up and down alongside a railway line, scratching and looking for food.
I grew up with these birds that roamed in the bush and grass lands - those days are gone.

Most of the suburbs have a lot of crows flying around, which a few years ago, one did not see - and this is due to the fact that we have taken away their natural habitat and so they are forced to hunt elsewhere.

In many areas, people complain about the baboons that get into their houses and have learnt to open fridges etc., in order to get food - these people want the baboons to be shot!
The baboons are just having to adapt in areas as their land now has houses built there.

Even our beloved penguins have started to go into the residential areas - and have become quite road savvy.

Every year at this time, a grey heron comes to a piece of ground across the way from me - I do not know why as there is nothing there and it makes me so sad to see him/her - always alone - just walking up and down.
Is it looking for a lost mate perhaps?
So sad.