Cape Town is an animal lovers dream. Not only can you see all sorts of creatures, but you can have personal interactive “encounters” with many of them as well. Our little animal lover (who wants to be an Animal Rescuer like Diego when she grows up) was totally enchanted. Here are a few of our animal adventures….
Boulders Beach is home to 2000 wild African Penguins. The South African Park Service has turned this beach into a park in order to further protect this now-endangered species. There are helpful boardwalks that perch you up above the penguins. This enables them to do their thing in peace, while allowing folks like us the chance to view them closely and get pics.
I seriously could have watched these animals for hours as they swam and waddled around the beach. It was also neat seeing the younger ones molting, which is the process of them shedding their juvenile fur in order to grow their adult coat. The molting made them all grey and fuzzy. They looked super awkward, much like what I remember puberty being like. Â :)
That same day we ventured to Cape Point Ostrich Farm. The farm does Ostrich breeding and currently has 40 mating pairs. They sell the babies once they reach a certain age. There were a surprising variety of things to do at the farm and it ended up being one of my favorite things we did on the trip.
First we met Bonnie & Clyde, who were named as such because of their love for shiny baubles. We were allowed to feed them but were given very strict instructions on how to do so. The key was to keep your hand super flat or they would accidentally pull at your skin with their beaks when trying to get the food. Our guide also suggested putting our hand on the wood post or the bird would push it down, which can lead to curling up your palm.
What shocked me was how aggressive they were. As soon as they saw my food they were right there. I underestimated how long their neck was and had to pull back quickly and relocate to a different point on the fence before they got to me.
So despite keeping my hand flat and putting it on the fence, the first time that beak came at me it totally freaked me out and I jerked my hand back (see below). I was shocked at how rapidly they pecked and it also hurt! Who knew!? I stuck with it though and was getting the hang of it after 10 minutes or so. Nia and Nick eventually tried their hand at feeding Bonnie & Clyde too.
Next we went on a private tour of the Ostrich Farm. They brought out an actual ostrich egg for us to hold. What surprised me was: a.) It was HEAVY – almost 3 pounds and b.) it was WAY BIGGER than a chicken egg (15 cm). In fact, it seemed more like something from a dinosaur than an ostrich. Turns out that the ostrich is actually a descendant of the dinosaur! Here’s Nick holding an ostrich egg so you can get an idea of the scale.
The shell is incredibly think and strong as well. It can withstand up to 250 lbs of weight. Isn’t that incredible? Some other fun ostrich facts I learned are:
- The ostrich’s brain is smaller than it’s eye.
- Ostriches can run 45 mph, second only to the cheetah. DO NOT try to outrun an ostrich. In fact, if you should encounter one in the wild, you’re supposed to get in a yoga child’s pose with your hands over your head and the bird will eventually forget you’re there (not the smartest animal, btw…)
- The male does an elaborate mating dance for the female during mating season.
- Ostriches have 3 stomachs.
- When threatened, an ostrich is capable of doing a front kick that can kill a human or animal (even a lion).
- The ostrich’s legs are perfectly placed so that their center of gravity is directly atop their legs.
- They are the largest flightless bird.
- They can grow up to 9 feet tall and over 300 pounds.
- They can live for up to 75 years.
- Ostriches don’t need to drink water, they can get enough from the plants that they eat.
After that it was off to The Hatchery restaurant for lunch where, you guessed it, nearly every dish had ostrich meat in it. I was a wee bit nervous about how it would go, especially since we had Nia, but it turns out I had nothing to be worried about because it was absolutely delicious. Definitely one of my top 3 meals in Cape Town. Ostrich meat is super lean and reminded me a lot of bison. Nick indulged in an ostrich filet, I tried spaghetti bolognese with ostrich meat and Nia had an ostrich burger. Such a fun change-up! I get so energized by new experiences. Probably why I like this lifestyle so much!
That’s all for today folks. Will try to get another post off tomorrow. Nia says “Ta-ta for now!”
