Ostriches

Outdtshoorn, South Africa (27 February 2008).

Tonight we are sleeping at an ostrich farm—which also happens to have a five star tented lodge. You see the “rooms” are tents. But this is not your usual camping experience. Our tent must measure 5m x 3m (25ft x 12ft) and has a double bed, a small desk, a wardrobe, a small refrigerator, tea station, spa, outside shower, flushing toilet, and a small deck. This is probably the swankiest tent we have stayed in—and we’ve staved in some nice places. But it is also the cheapest. I think it’s because the infrastructure here is much better than in Tanzania or Uganda. Moral of the story, if you want to live it up in the bush, come to SA, don’t go to EA.

We just got back from an ostrich tour, where we learn all kind of factoids about ostriches. Right now it is the mating season. So they will pair one male, which has black coat, and one female, which has a brown coat. The female will lay one “trial” egg first, which is small and not viable. After that she lays one egg every other day for a total of about 42. The eggs lay about 1.5kg (3lbs) and can go up to 2kg. The eggs are really strong and can hold more than 120kg when laid “flat” and over 250kg when laid “vertical”. Each egg can feed about 12 people; though they said the eggs are not very tasty. One can eat them, but nobody chooses to eat them on a daily basis.

Because it’s the mating season there are a bunch of little ostrich chicks running around. Debby was ready to buy a couple and take them home. She thinks they are really cute.

The ostriches are really dumb. Each one of their eyes weights 60gm but the brain is only 30gm! They peck at everything and will swallow almost anything. They swallow a couple dozen stones to help their digestion. The stones stay in their belly for a few weeks and then come out. So they are always swallowing a couple of stones.

They have three eyelids. One closes from above, and it helps shade it from the sun. One closes from the bottom and is used for sleep. The third closes from the side and is only to moisten the eye. Much like a crocodile, it can still see with this third eyelid closed. They have fours nostrils, two down below and two small ones above. It can close the large ones when there is too much dust.

The neck is very strong but really flexible. You can basically wrap it around your arm—though you will then have a very angry ostrich hanging from your arm! The neck is stretchy, so it can swallow large object. We were told they can swallow a 1 liter bottle of coke!

They are really strong and can weight up to 200kg (440lbs); which is why the eggs are so strong. Oh, I forgot. The eggs are so strong that the little chick can’t get out on it’s own. The father needs to peck at the egg and break it to let it out. They can run at up to 70km/h (I think). They claimed they are the second fastest animal on earth, after the cheetahs. Not bad for such a heavy animal!

we got to touch the birds, carry an egg, carry a little chick, and even to ride a bird! I rode the ostrich first and my ungraceful dismount almost scarred Debby from riding. But the guys at the farmed offered to help her and she braved it! It was fun if a bit painful. Of course the guys who work here can ride them like we ride a bicycle.

The farms got started in the 19th century. Back then they only harvested the feathers. Nowadays they are raised mainly for the meat. They kill young ostriches, about 14 months old, and get about 45kg-60kg of meat. The meat comes mainly from the back.

Though we had fun with the ostriches, Debby's favorite animal was a 2-month old springbok that was roaming around the farm. She was ready to take it home as a pet. I said sure, so long we buy a farm in South Africa :).