The other side of the story
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Marcel
06 Oktober 2014 | Zuid-Afrika, Johannesburg
Of course cheeta's have to eat. And of course they're not in a position to hunt for themselves. Now Pieter, the owner of the property and husband of Estelle, has a ranch with horses specifically bred for this purpose. Horsemeat is low on fat and resembles what they would find out there (impala and the like).
When it's time (about once or twice a week!) a horse is shot and brought in to the slaughterhouse. The local butcherguys do the big pieces: skin and decapitate, and then chunk the horse up in big pieces (legs, ribcase). Then it's our turn: the pieces are suspended on big hooks and with our set of knives we start to cut the good pieces of meat of the chunks. It's a bloody job and you can feel that the horse has just been shot because it's still warm. Then the chunks are grinded (or in our case, where the grinding machine broke down, cut the small pieces by hand). Then the meat is portioned and put in the freezer.
Today was also a trainingday for Chaka. There's a machine that pulls a fake rabbit on a long line. And of course the cheeta has to run to catch the 'rabbit'. It's both an exercise against overweight and a training of the hunting skill. We were allowed on the sideway, but don't crouch down, that would confuse Chaka into thinking you are prey as well!
It is funny to see that when the domestic cats pass the enclosure of Duke and Rafael, they immediately focus on the cat and start to sneek up to them. Clearly it would not be a good idea to have the the domestic cats (Fury and Thunder) inside their enclosure. Btw. I'm trying to type this with Thunder on my lap, so sorry for any typo's.
Slowly we are getting the hang of it, although I have a feeling that not all of my companions are enjoying all aspects of it. For some it's the first time in Africa and combined with the unorthodox type of 'holiday' this is I can imagine it's not what you expected.
When it's time (about once or twice a week!) a horse is shot and brought in to the slaughterhouse. The local butcherguys do the big pieces: skin and decapitate, and then chunk the horse up in big pieces (legs, ribcase). Then it's our turn: the pieces are suspended on big hooks and with our set of knives we start to cut the good pieces of meat of the chunks. It's a bloody job and you can feel that the horse has just been shot because it's still warm. Then the chunks are grinded (or in our case, where the grinding machine broke down, cut the small pieces by hand). Then the meat is portioned and put in the freezer.
Today was also a trainingday for Chaka. There's a machine that pulls a fake rabbit on a long line. And of course the cheeta has to run to catch the 'rabbit'. It's both an exercise against overweight and a training of the hunting skill. We were allowed on the sideway, but don't crouch down, that would confuse Chaka into thinking you are prey as well!
It is funny to see that when the domestic cats pass the enclosure of Duke and Rafael, they immediately focus on the cat and start to sneek up to them. Clearly it would not be a good idea to have the the domestic cats (Fury and Thunder) inside their enclosure. Btw. I'm trying to type this with Thunder on my lap, so sorry for any typo's.
Slowly we are getting the hang of it, although I have a feeling that not all of my companions are enjoying all aspects of it. For some it's the first time in Africa and combined with the unorthodox type of 'holiday' this is I can imagine it's not what you expected.
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06 Oktober 2014 - 21:47
Alex :
Hoi Marcel,
Wil alleen even laten weten dat ik weer geniet van je verhalen.
Alex -
07 Oktober 2014 - 09:39
Lucienne:
Here another one, who love to read your stories:) Also this one, behind the scenes. Yes, it is not the nicest part of it, but it's the same in the wild....hope you enjoy a lot more days and discover if this is a part of your future?? CU Lucienne -
07 Oktober 2014 - 18:20
Annemiek:
Mmmmmm......dat paard is wel heel erg confronterend,,,.,,
Nah ja, hoort erbij!
Leuk om je verhalen te lezen en je foto's te zien.
Geniet er maar lekker van, bij ons is de herfst het land binnen geglipt.
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