WILDLIFE

With the Laangeberg as our backdrop the farm is full of wildlife. Each orchard has its own resident buck, be it a steenbok, grysbok or rheebok. We have bushbuck and klipspringer in the mountains and guinea fowl and franklins trawling the orchards for lunch. Families of Jackal Buzzards and Black Eagles live in the mountains and can regularly be seen flying overhead. Hare, tortoise, mongoose and dassie are our constant companions – though not always welcome in the vegetables.

At night we are visited by porcupines and owls and if we are lucky leopard or rooikat, who infrequently raid the sheep kraal! While we don't like to lose our sheep it is amazing to have the leopards as so near. While we have never seen a leopard we often hear them calling in the mountains – their presence helping to keep away our least enjoyed companions, the baboons.

Though they are wild, afraid of people and away from the houses, baboons can do a lot of damage to the trees and fruit and we have an interesting relationship with them. Some orchards are protected by high-voltage electric fences, especially the mangoes where the baboons will pull off un-ripe fruit en ruin a whole seasons fruit. IN the case of the peaches and apricots we accept that we are in their space and some fruit is sacrificed to their taste-buds. If we have to throw any old fruit away we will place it up in the kloof, and that usually keeps them away from the main farm for a while. Despite our frustrations with them they are amazing animals, their family groups close and organized, and their early warning systems very efficient!