Being situated in the countryside the environment is completely natural and therefore animal and insect life is to be expected, the type of creature and their activity is very dependent on the time of year and weather conditions.

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We have a bat community in the area, these are small bats who eat mosquitoes and other small insects, they are harmless but one will occasionally fly into a cottage, particularly if doors are left open at night with lights on inside.

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Insects and moths hatch mainly in summer when there is high rainfall and heat, the number of hot days determines the number of "gogga's" that hatch.  Most insects, moths in particular are attracted to light so it is not advisable to leave the windows and doors of the cottage open at night if there are many lights on.

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The grasslands are an ideal environment for a variety of field mice and shrews, occasionally

one braves its way into a cottage through an open door (particularly as it starts getting cold), they are not harmful.  

Another creature endemic to the grassland and bush of South Africa is the infamous "bush roach", this insect looks like a "normal cockroach" but has longer wings.  These insects, though ugly, are not the same as the "city roaches" and are not indicative of dirt.  They tend to occur in small numbers during the high wet heat of mid summer.

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There are a variety of frogs in the area and you will enjoy their song on summer nights, do not be overly alarmed, however, if your dog gets hold of one and starts retching and foaming at the mouth, this is a natural reaction to the slime that covers the frog and as far as we know none of them are poisonous and the effect shouldn't last more that a few hours at the most, just ensure that your dog has lots of water to drink.

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The grassland is also home to snakes and scorpions, though they are rarely seen.  Please watch where you put your feet when hiking and be careful when lifting or moving any rocks.  The venomous snakes that occur in our area are puff adder and rinkals.