We are incredibly fortunate to be living and working in Century City with its wonderful biodiversity.  With this great privilege, we also have a great responsibility to ensure that the wildlife we share a precinct with, remains unhindered and protected. We live in a precinct surrounded by greenery and with gardens flowing into natural areas such as the canals and adjacent landscaping areas, and it’s therefore natural to see wildlife such as cape clawless otters, water mongoose, small mammals, and birds of all sorts in your garden.

Cute as some of these animals might be, they remain wild animals and should be treated accordingly. 

Why you should not pick up, feed or touch the animals you encounter:

1. Human food is not healthy for wild animals, and they do not need food from humans to survive. Wild animals have specialised diets, and they can become malnourished or die if fed the wrong foods. Also, animals cannot distinguish food from wrappers or foil and can get sick eating these items.
2. It encourages unnatural behaviour such as scavenging, and once these animals are habituated to being fed, it is very challenging to get rid of them, and it will take a long time to discourage the behaviour and rehabilitate the animal to its natural state. 
3. Animals accustomed to people often lose their fear of people and can become aggressive. Those that become too aggressive become a problem and must be removed from the precinct, which is not a desirable outcome.

You can help keep animals wild by keeping the following tips in mind:

1. Do not encourage wildlife by feeding or leaving food for them.
2. Don’t allow bird food to accumulate on the ground.
3. Don’t place food scraps in gardens or compost bins, and use a closed compost bin.
4. Keep pet food and water containers indoors, especially at night.
5. Use metal or durable plastic trash containers with tight fitting lids.
6. Enjoy viewing wildlife at a distance. Respect their space and remember they are wild animals that should stay wild.
   
   

If you should see any animal in distress, please refrain from picking it up or touching it.  Please report the incident to our Security Operations Centre on 021 202 1000 and the applicable specialist will assist the animal.