of a buff coloured zebra. It might sound a bit
Jurassic Park, but it is an inspiring tale, and the reserve at Bartholomeus Klip has acted as a hub herd to supply the nine other farms involved in the project over the last 20 years.
If we were privileged
to be able to spot on our last day a small herd of Rau Quaggas, we felt even more privileged to venture into the breeding compounds for the geometric tortoise, which is clinging onto the last ledge before the black hole of extinction. And the reserve at Batholomeus Klip, the biggest patch of land that is left of the renosterveld shrublands which has the largest population of the geometric tortoise. The tortoise has been
on the endangered list since 1976. The problems for the tortoise began when the farmer colonists started ploughing up their particular sort of habitat. Now 97 per cent of that habitat has disappeared under the plough, and being fussy eaters, there’s only one place they can live. And most of that one place was at Bartholomeus Klip, where the majority of the 2,000 remaining population was thought to live. But two years ago a disastrous bush which burned down two thirds of the reserve in 45 minutes. A backhand advantage
was that they could do a proper count of the tortoise – and it shocked everyone that instead of a population of 2000, it was more like 500. So Mike Gregor, CEO
of Rapula Farming that runs the working farm and reserve at Bartholomews Klip, has started a breeding programme with two protective fenced off compounds, where tracking devices strapped to the backs of females to aid the turbo boost to tortoise numbers. “Ultimately the idea is
to try and harvest the eggs and then try and incubate them. But this programme is not going anywhere fast. By the time we start realising its aims, it will be about 20 years,” says Mike.
Although we fascinated
by the tortoise, and its plight, the appearance of a clan of bat-eared fox lounging on the track, was a crowd stopper as far as our 13-year-old daughter Leila was concerned. However, the surprising aspect was her enthusiasm for the rare wild flowers that dot the fenbos sparse grassland. Carine would suddenly stop the vehicle, stride out into the bush beckoning for us to follow, and would show us a succession of rare plants, or plants that are unique to the reserve. And in a very Victorian manner, Leila took the picked flowers, and stuck them into a
Top: Quagga near Bartholomeus Klip Above: The reserve
Bottom: A geometric tortoise
book so she could have a floral memory of the holiday. Because this is more than a special place, it is a uniquely-preserved piece of one of the world’s smallest but richest floral kingdoms, the Cape Floristic Region. And if you like birds, this place will be a little
corner of heaven, as one keen birder guest spotted 71 different types of bird over his three day stay.
If all this has not given you food for thought,
then also consider that Bartholomeus Klip is famous for its food. To the extent that it has brought out its own cook book ‘Life on a Cape Farm’ that was favourably reviewed in the Sunday Times. So you can expect only the best, straight from the farm, or locally sourced as much as possible. And don’t worry, there is lots of it. And if you feel the need to work it off, there are mountain bikes to cycle, a stunning lake to kayak on, or cast your rod on for a spot of fly fishing. For the more leisurely inclined, there is croquet or archery on the lawns, taking you back in time, as you wallow in a full tapestry of mother nature’s glory. For any further information about
Bartholomeus Klip or to make a booking, please contact UK Representative at
katecoleridge@handpickedafrica.co.uk or on 0208 354 0458.
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