Members of SA Hunters can participate in the Sightings initiative by recording observations of identified rare and elusive species. It can also be used for specific initiatives such as SA Hunters’ Project Grootoog.

The activity on Sightings over the past year (October 2023 to the end of September 2024) has been interesting, with 2,576 reports of 18,405 animals. Flip Potgieter from Mpungini was the most active with 680 reports, followed by Dave Hayter from Bloemfontein with 446 reports.

The data is used in various conservation initiatives and discussions with the government. Cheetah sightings have been included in the national cheetah survey, while hornbill data has contributed to a national survey of these birds. There are nearly double the number of breeding pairs compared to previous data. Observations have also contributed to the updating of the Red Data List and conservation efforts for species such as oribi and pangolins.

There was a special request from members to share information on Egyptian goose sightings following reports of the negative impact large numbers of geese have on crops. This species was added to the Sightings list to collect data for meaningful discussions with the government regarding hunting proclamations.

This activity resulted in the reporting of 10,885 Egyptian geese. 6,945 geese were spotted and recorded in KwaZulu-Natal and 1,886 in the Free State. Flocks of up to 500 birds were observed.

We encourage members to submit sightings of the listed species via the SA Hunters App. With sufficient motivation, other species can be added.