Dog walkers have been warned to exercise caution when taking their pets on walks in the popular Tokai Forest, following reports that several dogs became ill after swimming in the Prinskasteel River.
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Parkscape, an organisation that informs residents about local events, issued a social media warning, urging dog owners to exercise caution following reports of giardia in the river.
Giardia is a common intestinal parasite that infects both humans and animals.
Speaking to News24, Nicky Schmidt, the organisation’s founder and spokesperson, stated that about two weeks ago, dog walkers in the Tokai area expressed their concerns. Their dogs had become ill from playing and swimming in the Prinskasteel River in the Tokai Forest.
The Prinskasteel River flows from the Constantiaberg through the Tokai picnic area and into lower Tokai. It then joins the Keysers River and ultimately flows into Zandvlei.
‘When I received these concerning messages, I [asked] my team if they heard about giardia parasites found in the river. One of our team members noted that the Steenberg Vet had issued an alert to clients, advising dog walkers that there were increased giardia levels in the water.’
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Zahid Badroodien, a member of Cape Town’s mayoral committee for water and sanitation, stated that no complaints had been received about giardia.
‘The City will require the exact location where this alleged incident took place to determine which stakeholder monitors this area. Some sections of the river are maintained by SANParks, while others are monitored by the City of Cape Town,’ said Badroodien.
SANParks spokesperson Lauren Howard-Clayton stated that they were unaware of giardia in the water.
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Picture: Verticz Squencz / Unsplash