Day 12 of tour - wild animal park and ostrich farm

Our guide arranged to add on a stop at the Conga animal park, dedicated to research, rescue and breeding of endangered African animals.  The guide who took us through the park was proud of the successes they have experience reintroducing specific animals into the wild, but he also made it quite clear that the challenge to specific species is quite daunting.  He spoke admiringly of Busch Gardens and Disney and was proud of their upcoming partnerships with these facilities.  

This was a very different experience from seeing animals in their natural environment, but it is an important part of the wildlife "picture" and the animals are beautiful.

Our next stop was an ostrich farm.  The semi desert climate of this part of South Africa is ideal for raising ostriches.  In the 1800's, the cost of ostrich feathers equaled the cost of an equivalent amount of gold.  Today these awkward but beautiful animals are raised for meat and their hides. We were served grilled ostrich steaks for lunch - very tasty.  We learned a lot about the ostriches.