The Cape (currently Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces) then became a
significant staging post for shipping traffic between Europe and Asia from 1600 to
the 1850s. European settlers brought with them more pests and many domestic
animals, some of which were deliberately let loose to breed for the purposes of
supplying meat. These early pathways by ship were dominated by deliberate introductions. Notable among them were the efforts by the Dutch colonial administrator,
Jan van Riebeeck, to establish a colony of rabbits on Robben Island, which he
reported in his journals in the mid-1600s.
By the mid-1800s societies formed in many colonies to deliberately introduce
species that reminded them of their European origins. In South Africa, many such
introductions are attributed to British businessman, mining magnet and politician
Cecil John Rhodes, Prime Minister of Cape Colony 1890–1896, who is said to have
introduced Sturnus vulgaris (Common Starling), and Fringilla coelebs (Common
Chaffinch), as well as Dama dama (Fallow Deer), and Sciurus carolinensis (Grey
Squirrels), which were themselves introduced to England from North America
(Brooke et al. 1986). During this time there were many more introductions of species
that failed to establish, records of these include four more birds introduced by
Rhodes: Corvus frugilegus (Rooks) Luscinia megarhynchos (Nightingales), Turdus
merula, (Blackbirds) and T. philomelos (Song Thrushes).
The most recent period, over the last 100 years, is associated with the advent of
increased trade between South Africa and broader global markets, the growth of the
game-farming industry, an expansion of the protected area network and subsequently ecotourism. The continued growth in trade both externally and within
South Africa (Faulkner et al. 2017) has resulted in a dramatic rise in accidental
introductions, including reptiles and amphibians, as well as more birds and mammals. Deliberate introductions, however, persist.
The game industry has emerged as a significant pathway for the introduction of
large herbivorous mammals. The importance of the game industry in South Africa
has resulted in 38 ungulate species being introduced, which is globally second only
to the USA (70 species Spear and Chown 2009a). A countrywide survey found that
of 47 large herbivores present in large commercial tourism or game ranching
operations, 10 were alien and 15 extralimital (Castley et al. 2001). Moreover, all
operations surveyed stocked at least one of these alien mammal species. The mixing
of native and extralimital species in South Africa has provided a particular problem
as this has often resulted in hybridisation, threatening the genetic integrity of native
stocks (Spear and Chown 2008, 2009a, b).
There are a large number of alien mammal species in South Africa (42 reported by
van Wilgen and Wilson 2018 and 51 by van Rensburg et al. 2011), but only a few
(15) of these are invasive or established.
Currently, invasive reptiles in South Africa have all arrived as accidentallytransported contaminants of the horticultural trade, within consignments of firewood, and in building materials. However, there is a global trend for the importing
and keeping of alien pets, especially reptiles (Herrel and van der Meijden 2014;
Schlaepfer et al. 2005), and a result is the subsequent release of a proportion of these
animals into the wild (Stringham and Lockwood 2018). In South Africa, there are
5 Terrestrial Vertebrate Invasions in South Africa
119
significant staging post for shipping traffic between Europe and Asia from 1600 to
the 1850s. European settlers brought with them more pests and many domestic
animals, some of which were deliberately let loose to breed for the purposes of
supplying meat. These early pathways by ship were dominated by deliberate introductions. Notable among them were the efforts by the Dutch colonial administrator,
Jan van Riebeeck, to establish a colony of rabbits on Robben Island, which he
reported in his journals in the mid-1600s.
By the mid-1800s societies formed in many colonies to deliberately introduce
species that reminded them of their European origins. In South Africa, many such
introductions are attributed to British businessman, mining magnet and politician
Cecil John Rhodes, Prime Minister of Cape Colony 1890–1896, who is said to have
introduced Sturnus vulgaris (Common Starling), and Fringilla coelebs (Common
Chaffinch), as well as Dama dama (Fallow Deer), and Sciurus carolinensis (Grey
Squirrels), which were themselves introduced to England from North America
(Brooke et al. 1986). During this time there were many more introductions of species
that failed to establish, records of these include four more birds introduced by
Rhodes: Corvus frugilegus (Rooks) Luscinia megarhynchos (Nightingales), Turdus
merula, (Blackbirds) and T. philomelos (Song Thrushes).
The most recent period, over the last 100 years, is associated with the advent of
increased trade between South Africa and broader global markets, the growth of the
game-farming industry, an expansion of the protected area network and subsequently ecotourism. The continued growth in trade both externally and within
South Africa (Faulkner et al. 2017) has resulted in a dramatic rise in accidental
introductions, including reptiles and amphibians, as well as more birds and mammals. Deliberate introductions, however, persist.
The game industry has emerged as a significant pathway for the introduction of
large herbivorous mammals. The importance of the game industry in South Africa
has resulted in 38 ungulate species being introduced, which is globally second only
to the USA (70 species Spear and Chown 2009a). A countrywide survey found that
of 47 large herbivores present in large commercial tourism or game ranching
operations, 10 were alien and 15 extralimital (Castley et al. 2001). Moreover, all
operations surveyed stocked at least one of these alien mammal species. The mixing
of native and extralimital species in South Africa has provided a particular problem
as this has often resulted in hybridisation, threatening the genetic integrity of native
stocks (Spear and Chown 2008, 2009a, b).
There are a large number of alien mammal species in South Africa (42 reported by
van Wilgen and Wilson 2018 and 51 by van Rensburg et al. 2011), but only a few
(15) of these are invasive or established.
Currently, invasive reptiles in South Africa have all arrived as accidentallytransported contaminants of the horticultural trade, within consignments of firewood, and in building materials. However, there is a global trend for the importing
and keeping of alien pets, especially reptiles (Herrel and van der Meijden 2014;
Schlaepfer et al. 2005), and a result is the subsequent release of a proportion of these
animals into the wild (Stringham and Lockwood 2018). In South Africa, there are
5 Terrestrial Vertebrate Invasions in South Africa
119