DINNER PARTY INTEL: Winged aliens worry Kruger Park conservationists
More than 120 years since it first arrived in SA the Indian myna is threatening to target the game reserve
1. Boris: for better or wors
UK prime minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie finally got to celebrate their wedding, a year after the event — with a braai. Held in the Cotswolds, the menu included boerewors, made from Aberdeen Angus ox cheeks, and grilled mealies. The Times of London, which reported the event, felt obliged to advise Johnson that it was pronounced like “cry” and not as “bra”.
2. Major myna invasion
Scientists in the Kruger National Park are worried about an intruder that is threatening the reserve’s biodiversity. The Indian myna, a bird that is common in many urban areas, is now, ahem, spreading its wings in a national park. More than 120 years after the first myna fled its cage in SA, it is threatening to become the first alien to establish itself in the park.
3. Mending the mill
Mostert’s Mill, the distinctive relic of a pre-industrial age that stands across the highway from the University of Cape Town’s upper campus, is almost back to working order. Built in 1796, it was partly destroyed in a fire last year, but a band of dedicated locals has been restoring it. Thatching has been completed and a pair of millstones has been bought in the Netherlands. Crowdfunding paid for the repairs.