Residents of the Helderberg area have been warned to be on the lookout for increasing numbers of red locusts.
“We are seeing a lot of these red locusts in the Helderberg area at the moment,” Tevet Pet said via their Facebook page. “PLEASE BE AWARE that these locusts are highly toxic due to the cardiac (heart) poisons that they ingest from their diet, which includes a large number of toxic and distasteful plants such as milkweed.”
It is believed that a small dog’s death has been caused by one of these locusts. It is believed that the dog may have eaten the insect.
” If you have these locusts in your garden or in the areas where your pets walk, please do not allow them to have any contact with them,” Tevet said.
Picture: Tevet Pet/Facebook