December 20, 2024
What? An ostrich what? Whoever heard of going on a safari to see ostriches??? But that’s exactly what we did! Mossel (aka Mussel) Bay is without doubt the nicest port we’ve visited, and this was definitely the most enjoyable tour of our cruise thus far. The ship is unable to dock in the port, so we were ferried from the ship to land in the Regent life boats. We’ve come a long way from the Titanic life boats!
Mossel is basically a resort town; the majority of its homes lay unoccupied most of the year, but on days like this (the Friday before Christmas, the beginning of a long holiday), the population soars from a quiet 70,000 to a more robust 300,000, many of whom are inlanders anxious to feel the silky soft sand of Mossel’s beautiful beaches between their toes and experience what is said be a climate second only to Hawaii.
There is not much industry here (a Nestle factory that produces powdered milk is the main employer), and no public transportation. As with other cities we’ve visited people rely mainly on taxis to get around. Each has an assigned route from which they are not supposed to deviate, but…what are rules, anyway, but glorified suggestions? A high number of taxis are converted utility vehicles not authorized to carry individuals and those that are passenger vans have been known to fit 34 people in a van designed for 16; as many as 48 in one meant for 22. Not lot of elbow room in there. It is most difficult for those in rural areas to get around. There’s no uber here, no number to call when you need a ride. Instead, they stand by the side of the road and wait for a taxi to come by. If they can wave one down the taxi may not be going where they need to go. On our way to the safari, we passed a family on the road. The woman stood in the middle of the road on one side with a baby on her hip and a toddler at her feet while the man stood in the middle of the other side waiving money in the air, trying to get our bus to stop. Our guide said they might repeat this process for days before they get their ride.
Crime is also high here. All of the housing communities, businesses, and even gardens are surrounded by high walls topped with Constantine wire or electric fences.
The Ostrich Safari is located in Oudtshoorn, on the other side of the Oteniqua Mountains. Although the area appears lush and green it actually receives very little rainfall. Instead, the vegetation receives its moisture from the fog/light mist created when the cold air from the Oudtshoorn side of the mountain meets the cold are from the Mossel Bay side. It’s not enough water to support vegetable crops, though, so people mostly raise dairy cow.
The road we traveled today took us through the Outeniqua Mountains and is considered a bit dangerous. There are nearly 10,000 deaths a year, more than half of them pedestrian. You can see in the picture below the road has many tight curves, and the speed limit is largely ignored (more annoying guidelines). The shoulders are narrow, but we passed several people walking them. It’s easy to see how fatalities may happen.
Ostriches can be traced as far back as 40 to 60 million years. They migrated south across Africa approximately one million years ago, together with many of the larger mammals, and are found throughout the entire continent of Africa.
Ostrich feathers were exported from South Africa as early as 1859 and it’s interesting to note that during the ten years preceding 1914, Ostrich Feathers ranked fourth to gold, wool and diamonds in the value of exports from South Africa. During this feather boom there was said to be nearly 80,000 ostriches on farms in the country; by 1914 the number had grown to close to a million. But thanks to WWI, the industry collapsed overnight.
The Safari Ostrich Show Farm is the first show farm in South Africa where the Kenyan Red and Zimbabwe Blue ostriches as well as the local South African breed can be viewed. It is a private establishment owned by two families, and houses about 2500 birds. We had an opportunity to feed the birds, tour the park, and learn more about how the birds are used today.
It’s difficult to appreciate the beauty of ostrich feathers without seeing them close up. The Farm has four breeds of ostriches, as well as a small group of Emus kept just for show. Our tour began with a walk past some of the pens where the birds are kept. They are very aggressive eaters, so we were advised to not let them eat out of our hands. Instead, we were to feed them from the plastic containers we had been given while holding on to it with both hands.
In their natural environment ostriches may lay 12-18 eggs a season, one at a time. After she lays the first egg, she knows that her womb is empty, and she will mate again; she lays that egg with the first one and the process continues every 2-3 days until she is no longer fertile. Mom and dad share nesting responsibilities, with mom taking day duty and dad serving nights. The eggs are usually laid out in the open in soft sand (not a traditional nest) so that when mom needs a stretch or potty break the sun can keep “cooking” the chicks. Only about two-thirds of the eggs that are laid will produce chicks. The eggs weigh about three pounds, but the chicks themselves only weigh about two pounds at birth and stand about ten inches tall.
After a short walk we boarded a little “train” that drove us around the park. We were introduced to the South African breed first, the Outdshoorn Ostrich. Males have black bodies; females are gray. During mating season, when a male is ready to mate, his beak and front legs turn a deep red. Guess what the mood was when we were there?
Ostriches can grow to be as tall as nine feet and weigh up to 320 pounds. They grow at a rate of about 6-12 inches per month, so they’re all taller than Aunt Dori before they’re even six months old!
Nearly every part of the bird can be marketed; there are, of course, the feathers, and then there are the hide, the meat, and the eggs. One ostrich egg is the equivalent of 24 chicken eggs, and it takes one hour to boil!!!
There are farms that raise Ostriches for their eggs or for slaughter, but the farm we visited only harvests their feathers and eggs that fail to fertilize. Every few days they collect an egg or two from the nests. They place them under an x-ray and if there is an embryo they place them in an incubator to finish growing. If the egg has not been fertilized, they sell it to a company that will make souvenirs from it.
Ostriches lose their feathers twice a year, once in the spring and again in the autumn. Staff at the farm collect the feathers and they are sold to companies that will turn them into commercial products, like feather dusters.
Our visit to the farm was much more interesting and entertaining than any of us were expected, and we were treated to fabulous scenery coming and going. On the way back to the ship we stopped at Robinson Pass, over 2700 feet in elevation for a photo op.
Then it was back to our lifeboats and the ship to finish packing for tomorrow’s departure and prepare for our last night on the ship.
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