T
he Study Group immediately introduced corrective
n o w u s e b re e d i n g b u l l s w i t h h o r n s p re a d s i n excess of
measures
4 7 ” a n d c o w s a b o ve 3 5 ”.
like
habitat
improvement,
removal
of
competitive species (impala, cattle) as well as the
O u r e f f o r t s h a v e b e e n a b u n d a n t l y b l e s s e d ; to day the
introduction of ge n e t i c a l l y u n re l a te d s a b l e a n te l o p e . At
m e m b e r s o f t h i s g ro u p h a v e i n exc e s s o f 2 , 2 0 0 sable
that time, it was n e i g h i m p o s s i b l e to f i n d b re e d i n g b u l l s
a n te l o p e , 5 0 0 d i s e a s e - f re e b u f f a l o a n d m a n y o t h e r
with horn lengths exc e e d i n g 3 8 ” a n d b u l l s a b o v e 4 0 ”
s c a rc e g a m e s p e c i e s . O n a u c t i o n s a l o n e , w e h ave sold
made headl i ne new s!
m o re t h a n 1 , 5 0 0 s a b l e a n te l o p e to o t h e r g a m e ranchers
i n S o u t h A f r i c a a n d N a m i b i a , t h e re b y m a k i n g a massive
Through a painsta k i n g p ro c e s s o f b re e d i n g , s e l e c t i o n
contribution
to
S A’ s
current
and acquisition of new blood, the horn length of
a p p roxi m a te l y 1 5 , 0 0 0 a n i m a l s .
sable
population
of
bre ed i ng cows and bu l l s st a r te d to i n c re a se a g a i n .
T h i s b o o k s e r v e s a s a v i s u a l c e l e b ra t i o n o f God’s
Nowadays several B e n c h m a r k G a m e B re e d e r s m e m b e r s
g o o d w i l l a n d g ra c e , t h e s p l e n d o u r o f o u r v a l l ey, the
use breeding bulls o f 4 8 ” a n d m o re w i t h a f e w a l re a d y
b e a u t y o f t h e a n i m a l s a n d t h re e d e c a d e s o f genetic
beyond 5 0”.
p ro g re s s i n b re e d i n g to p q u a l i t y s p e c i m e n s .
In 1990, yet another cattle-borne disease, bovine
We t r u s t y o u w i l l e n j o y i t a s m u c h a s w e d o .
tuberculosis was d i a g n o s e d i n b u f f a l o i n t h e K r u g e r
N a t i o n a l Pa r k . M a n y o f o u r m e m b e r s to o k u p t h e
J O H AN H . RA BI E
challenge to bree d d i s e a s e f re e b u f f a l o a n d a l s o to
M a rc h 2 0 1 4
reverse the ever d e c l i n i n g h o r n - s p re a d s . S o m e o f t h e m
16