Sheep farmers and jackals have long been enemies, but two Eastern Cape farmers now have jackals to thank for their good fortune.
Brothers Larry and Gray King have designed a collar which successfully ”jackal-proofs” sheep and other small stock, reported SA Airway’s in-flight magazine Sawubona in it’s August edition.
The Kings tried everything to rid their farms of jackals, which are responsible for considerable stock losses.
Larry King said jackals were a recurring topic when the two farmers got together to discuss their problems.
”Jackals have been a problem to farmers for decades and we are no different. We used gin traps and hunting dogs, but it was always just a temporary solution. In fact, the jackals seemed to come back stronger than ever. It seemed like they bred more and had bigger litters to compensate for their losses.
”The jackals also seemed to get smarter over time, and I’m convinced they taught their offspring the knack of killing sheep in specific ways.”
Larry said he noticed jackals killed by attacking the sheep at the throat.
”So we decided to turn the problem on its head and protect the sheep’s throat, instead of trying to kill the jackals.”
Their first attempt to solve the problem involved mixing hot chilli and axle grease and coating the sheep’s’ throats with the mixture. It failed.
”It seemed we were just adding relish to the jackals’ meals,” said Larry.
Next they constructed tin collars, but these discoloured the wool. Then they found that high-density polythene was the perfect material.
The polythene is recycled and recyclable, it’s tough and long-lasting and can endure 10 years on a sheep’s neck. The brothers have not lost a lamb since the collars were fitted, but their work is not done. Caracal find their way through the collars, so they are investigating modifications.
The collars cost R5 each, so farmers only have to save a few animals a year for the collars to pay their way. Also, sheep only need jackal-proofing for the first 18 months of their lives, after which they are too big for a jackal to attack.
As Larry said: ”Nobody gets killed, neither sheep nor jackal, and farmers and jackals can finally live peacefully side-by-side and co-exist for the long term.” – Sapa