BuaNews (Tshwane)
Sharon Hammond
1 August 2007
Skukuza — A key man-made dam in the Kruger National Park will be emptied and permanently closed this week after it was again infected with poisonous algae, that has been killing animals over the past two years.
The algae, Microcystis spp, grows when there are high levels of urine and faeces or agricultural fertilizers in the water.
The Nhlanganzwane Dam in the southern part of the park is believed to have been contaminated by the waste of a large pod of hippos who congregated in the dam this winter.
"We didn't take the decision lightly, but our primary concern is to stop the spread and effect of this deadly algal poison," said the park's head of conservation services Dr Freek Venter on Wednesday.
The closure of the dam, he explained, also tied in with the park's policy of closing artificial water points in order to return the area to its purest natural state.
Rangers first detected the algae problem in the autumn and early winter of 2005, when 54 carcasses of white rhinos, lions, cheetahs and zebras were found in the region of the dam.
While various solutions were being considered, the deaths stopped at the end of July 2005 when the hippos moved away to find better grazing.
Then, in June this year, more carcasses of white rhinos, zebras and wildebeest were found. Again, there was a large population of hippos in the Nhlanganzwane Dam, causing Microcystis spp to proliferate.
Dr Venter said it would not be practical to fence off the dam because elephants would destroy any barriers put up.
It also was deemed impractical to move the hippos because they would simply return to the area.
Earthworks are scheduled to continue until Monday, after which the dam will be permanently closed.
The park is north of the Crocodile Bridge rest camp.
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