Nature is conspiring against us!

Neighbour Jan was in a belligerent mood while having coffee on my stoep a few days ago.

“Three of my lambs have been killed by a rooikat, Townie!” he fumed.

“They have to eat too,” I replied with a smile.

That didn’t go down well! He glared at me and stormed off to collect his traps. I wondered what he’d bait them with now that the culprit had had a taste for lamb. And how would other lambs avoid the same fate unless the traps caught the caracal? He’d probably have to kraal the entire flock at night.

If the offending culprit is trapped, Jan will no doubt shoot it. A sad fate for such a magnificent animal, but the lambs are Jan’s livelihood.

A less lethal but no less destructive animal has invaded our garden. Undaunted by our wire mesh fence, a porcupine has dug a hole under our entrance gate to gain access and plunder our veggies. I don’t have a trap for catching it and there’s no point now in asking Jan if I can borrow one of his. But caracal and porcupine are not the the only animals who pop in for a free meal. Baboons living in the krantzes above our farms descend to cause havoc with Jan’s ripe maize crop. Tearing the cobs off the plants, they plunder indiscriminately to feed their voracious appetites. Surrounding the crop with an electrified fence would keep them away but it’s an expensive exercise.

I’m also convinced they can sense when Eskom switches the power off!

Traps are effective, but Jan would need to set a dozen of them to have any impact on a large, hungry, marauding troop.

As if all this weren’t enough, flocks of birds settle in the fruit trees to peck at ripening plums and peaches. Traps and electric fences certainly won’t help in this case! Perhaps scarecrows are the answer.

Farming is a financially risky business at the best of times. We really don’t need nature to conspire against us too!

But that’s life if you choose to be a farmer.