Heavy snowfalls in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands at the weekend and on Monday morning have had farmers scrambling to rescue animals at risk of succumbing to the cold.
This after thousands of snow seekers flooded the region at the weekend, with some cutting fences and leaving farm gates open.
Farmer Andrea Jooste, whose farm sits on the outskirts of Nottingham Road, said her husband had brought in two calves suffering from hypothermia on Monday morning.
"We had them in front of the fire and were trying to get them all dry and warm. We have now put them in a shed with their mothers because they need to nurse and can’t be away for too long," she said.
"This is just two calves of about 500 cattle that we have to try and keep under cover and warm. We are just trying to keep them alive," Jooste added.
She said that amid this scramble, farmers were dealing with trespassing snow seekers.
"It was all over social media and people came in their droves. Our quiet farm road was like a freeway yesterday and like every year we had people coming and cutting fences to play in the farmlands," she said.
"We even had someone set up a tent in our neighbour's driveway overnight, it has been pandemonium," she said.
