Female buffaloes and their heifers stole the show at the Great Fish River game auction held at Kwandwe on Saturday.
Surprising allcomers, three lots of a buffalo cow and a single heifer each went for more than R600 000 per lot.
Female buffaloes and their heifers stole the show at the Great Fish River game auction held at Kwandwe on Saturday.
Surprising allcomers, three lots of a buffalo cow and a single heifer each went for more than R600 000 per lot.
The buffaloes from the reserve’s own disease free herd fetched between 30 and 40% more than expected according to Kwandwe’s managing director, Angus Sholto-Douglas.
Male buffaloes at the 2010 edition of the annual auction were all relatively young and not yet ready to face trophy hunters.
At last year’s auction, several large male buffaloes were the show stoppers with a top price of R975 000 going for a prize bull with a magnificent pair of horns.
As the Fish River game auction is the first major sale of the year, owners were unsure about the prices they could expect as there were no trends to follow, but Sholto-Douglas appeared to be pleased with the outcome.
Most people enjoy the drama of the auction itself as bidders vie with each other to get the best stock at the lowest prices.
Individuals in the audience bid against each other and sometimes against a phone bidder as they play bluffing games with each other, trying to see whose nerve will break first.
One particular lot of two buffaloes began with the auctioneer suggesting a starting price of R500 000. But there were no takers, so he dropped to R400 000.
Still no takers, then he went down to R300 000 and said that he was not prepared to go any lower. Bidding then started in earnest.
Someone offered three hundred and within seconds, bids were skyrocketing in increments of R10 000 until the hammer finally fell at R660 000 to a phone bid from a certain Tony Morton, a breeder of rare game in the Thabazimbi area.
The event is much more than just a game sale as hundreds of people drive out to the reserve for a pleasant day out in the open.
The improvised parking lot is filled mainly with expensive double-cab bakkies and SUVs while the heliport has two helicopters for people who prefer not to drive.
Visitors love walking along an observation gangway to look at examples of the game to be sold off. Not all the animals are on display as there are too many, but prospective buyers are able to get an idea of the quality of game up for sale.
There are no predators in the pens, but it is a wonderful opportunity to see a wide range of animals including giraffe, buffalo, blesbuck, kudu, nyala, impala, gemsbok, red hartebeest, waterbuck, zebra and rhinoceros close up.
For those who can’t afford to buy any game, there is plenty of biltong, hamburgers and pancakes on sale while a TV in the food marquee makes sure that visitors didn’t miss any of the Super 14 matches.
