Kamfers Dam, near Kimberley, is one of four breeding areas in Africa and the only one in South Africa of the lesser flamingo. The lesser flamingo is the smallest of the four flamingos and not quite as brightly coloured as the Caribbean flamingo. They have light pink feathers with black feathers on their wings and their beaks have more black than that of the greater flamingo.

These birds can be seen here in large numbers of up to 60 000 birds (more than half of which are from the Southern African population.) Although there are still many individual birds, they have been listed as “near-threatened” in national and international Red Data books because of their declining population, their few breeding sites and the threat to those breeding sites by human encroachment and development.

According to Save the Flamingo, Kamfers Dam breeding site is “in serious trouble” and there is an effort to alert the authorities to take conservation of this important wetland seriously.