Ubizane Welcomes Our New Ostriches - as told by Lance

Its 15h30 on a chilly Wednesday afternoon when we receive a call from the gate to inform us that our new residents have arrived…7 healthy, beautiful ostriches!

Without hesitation we all quickly drop what we are busy with, cram into a land cruiser and make our way to the drop off point.

Ostriches are the largest birds in the world and are native to Africa, yet they thrive all over the world, from the icy cold of Alaska to the heat and humidity of Southern Africa.

Our gorgeous male is the first one off the back of the trailer and he tentatively looks around, adjusting to his new surroundings.

The male ostrich is characterized by his black feathers with white tips and tail plumes in contrast to the females light brown and grey plumage and slightly smaller size. Our adult male is almost 8 feet tall and can weigh in at over 160kgs.

After a few minutes of encouragement he is followed by the 6 females and they begin their journey of settling, feeding and roosting at their new home, Ubizane Wildlife Reserve.

As the resident chef, I am counting down to the boiling of the first ostrich egg, which can weigh 1.6 kgs and is equivalent to about 60 chicken eggs! To soft boil an ostrich egg would take over an hour. One can only wish…

During the 18th century, it became fashionable to wear feathers and ostriches were almost hunted to extinction. Once it was discovered that they could be farmed successfully the pressure on wild ostrich populations decreased and the ostrich population thrived once again. Today the ostrich feather duster is a common household item across the country.

We are so proud to welcome 7 new members to our family here at Ubizane Wildlife Reserve, and we are excited to follow their progress on the reserve.