Claw declares state of emergency at Florida Lake
Emergency clean-up fairly successful
“Today was an emergency clean-up, because this area poses a hazard to both humans and animals,” said Cora Bailey from Community Led Animal Welfare (Claw).
Cora decided to arrange for the clean-up because of the birds (ducks, geese and coots) being killed by the rubbish and litter in and around the lake, on a daily basis. “We receive daily calls to come and rescue birds that have been either caught up in plastic bags, fishing line or other litter. Some of these birds just do not survive the ordeal, and it is heartbreaking to see our indigenous birds suffering and dying like this,” she said, looking sadly over the water. She said that their organisation has rescued innumerable birds at the lake, but was not able to save them all.
She added that the area once was a beautiful public space where families could come to visit, but, because of the residents’ indifference, it has been allowed to go to waste – literally. “When we look at this area, we only see filth, rubbish, broken bottles and dead birds. It is difficult to see the area being degraded like this,” Cora said.
Although the clean-up initiative was arranged and communicated on very short notice, Cora felt that the turnout was fairly successful, and said, “I understand that this is definitely not one of the most romantic types of volunteer work, but am so grateful to those who pitched up and assisted. The only sad thing is, it was not Florida residents, but mainly Claw supporters and animal lovers from other areas.”
Cora said that they will not be doing this clean-up as a once off, as it will form part of the Mayor’s monthly A Re Sebetseng campaign from 25 November. “The main thing I would like to see happen, is more and more residents joining in and supporting this campaign. If we have 100 people helping on a Saturday morning, it will not take that long to clean the area. And, the area will also stay clean if the residents – and visitors – will realise the beauty of the lake and, when they see a bottle or a plastic bag, just pick it up and throw it in the bin,” she said.
The councillor for Ward 70, Caleb Finn, was also part of the clean-up and said, “The environmental conditions at Florida Lake have been a concern for quite a while now, and part of the problem is its misuse by those who visit it. This can be seen by the amount of litter and rubbish being dumped around the lake, and even into the lake, including bizarre things such as double-bed mattresses. The role of organisations such as Claw is extremely important to us, and as councillor, I look forward to keep working with them. We will be incorporating this area, with Cora as team leader, into our monthly clean-up campaigns, with the first one happening on 25 November.”
Steve Spottiswoode, the Ward Committee Member for Environmental Health in Ward 70, concluded with the following words: “Frankly, if you do not have respect for the environment, you cannot have respect for your fellow man.”
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