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The Journey to New Genetics

 The Journey to New Genetics

By Martin Joubert

The beginning of the adventure for my wife, Claire and I started in 2019 with a lengthy 7-hour flight from OR Tambo International Airport in South Africa to Entebbe, Uganda. As we touched down and took in the breathtaking scenery our minds couldn't help but wander to movies like "7 Days in Entebbe" and "Raid on Entebbe". For Claire, and myself, sacrificing holidays and weekends had become a regular occurrence, transforming from an obligation into a way of life. Despite the fatigue and stress, we embraced this journey as a welcomed change which they say is as good as a holiday.

Our first glimpse of Uganda was absolutely mesmerising, as we descended upon the stunning Lake Victoria at Entebbe airport. The vastness of this freshwater lake was so immense that it could easily be mistaken for an ocean. The shores even boasted gentle waves, giving the illusion of a seaside retreat. The lake seemed to stretch endlessly, with no visible end in sight, except for a handful of tiny islands scattered here and there.

From the moment we stepped off the plane, it was evident that Uganda was a country of unparalleled beauty. With areas of abundant rainfall and fertile soil, it was no surprise that the pastoral communities here thrived alongside their cattle. Uganda truly lived up to its title as the pearl of Africa, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Our first encounter outside the airport was with a policeman who seemed and behaved more like a soldier in the Ugandan Army. He shouted orders at us, demanding that we exit the vehicle. Confused, I hesitated, unsure of what I had done wrong. The officer's shouts grew louder as he brandished his AK-47 in our faces. Reluctantly, we complied and watched as he meticulously searched the contents of our vehicle and rummaged through our bags. Finally, he gruffly instructed us to "listen faster" and allowed us to continue on our way.

A contact of ours had warned us about the dangers of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, advising us not to even take our cell phones out of our pockets while in a vehicle, as they were likely to be stolen. The streets were congested with boda-boda motorcycle taxis, notorious for their recklessness, causing traffic to come to a standstill. Motorbikes seemed to be the preferred mode of transport for local Ugandans, while roadside stalls offered an array of fresh produce, including jackfruit, sugarcane, milk, meat, and airtime. It appeared that every Ugandan was an entrepreneur, running their own small business. The sight of Marabou stalks and vultures scattered throughout the city was unsettling, leaving us to wonder what these scavengers feasted upon in the streets.

We soon discovered that Uganda was a country of extreme contrasts. There were times of abundant rainfall, with two rainy seasons each year, followed by periods of harsh drought. We encountered the grandest rivers and lakes we had ever seen, only to stumble upon areas devoid of water for hundreds of kilometres. Uganda's rich culture and heritage were undeniable, but so too was the glaring poverty that surrounded us.

Our search for full blood Ankole cattle began immediately, but we had no clue where to start or which direction to go. Armed with Google Maps and intermittent signal, we selected a few village names and embarked on our journey. The roads were either dirt paths or plagued with potholes, making it treacherous when trucks barrelled towards us head-on, all while navigating around the ever-present cloud of motorbikes. It was the most perilous driving experience of our lives. Unlike other tourists, we were the only ones without a driver and guide by our side. With our rental vehicle, which was a Rav 4 that looked like it was from the 80s, we carved a path through the country relentlessly.

Uganda felt like an entirely different world. Our excitement grew when we spotted what appeared to be Ankole cattle along the roadsides between villages. However, something seemed amiss. Many of the cattle we encountered appeared to be crossbred, lacking the true characteristics of pure Ankole. Some had longer horns, but showed indications that they were a mix with dairy cattle.

Little did we know the mountain of challenges that lay ahead. Some important questions we had to find answers to were:

• How would we find reputable breeders who could provide us with full blood Ankole?
• How could we trust strangers in this foreign land?
• And how could we ensure that the Ankole we acquired were free from diseases?

We had heard tales of farmers being swindled, purchasing large numbers of Ankole only to never receive the promised cattle or hear from the sellers again. These were just a few of the barriers that Claire and I were up against.

After days of futile searching, we finally arrived in a small town in western Uganda, where our most promising contact awaited. This contact had been our lifeline throughout this journey, and we had high hopes for him. He was a businessman and a renowned Ankole rancher, known for his expertise in breeding these majestic cattle. A formidable figure, he stood tall and imposing, always armed and dressed in his signature black cowboy boots and driving his double cab Land Cruiser. This man was truly dedicated to the Ankole breed and a master Ankole breeder.

We met with him several times in a local gathering area, where he grilled us with questions for over an hour each time. Finally, he agreed to take us to see his Ankole cattle. However, there was a catch. He refused to disclose the location of the Ankole, and we were not allowed to drive our own car. Hesitantly, we climbed into his Land Cruiser and embarked on our journey.

We drove for what felt like an eternity, crossing a river that severed our cell phone signals. The rancher shared stories of being deceived and cheated by buyers in the past, which made him cautious when it came to cattle transactions. After another hour of navigating through dirt roads and villages, we finally arrived at an open area. The sign at the entrance read “Royal Ranchers” and this was our first indication that we were close to the Ankole cattle.

Uganda was in the grip of the worst drought it had seen in a century. The rancher hadn't visited his cattle in months, and he feared what condition they might be in. He worried that they may be skeletal and was concerned that many could have died given the lack of rain in the area. Instructing his herdsman, he sent them off into the Ugandan bushveld to fetch the Ankole.

As we waited for the Ankole to appear, I seized the opportunity to ask the rancher all the questions I had accumulated over time. He told us about the cultural importance of these cattle, and shared names of Ankole which described horns and colour variations. With a patient demeanour, he shared his wealth of knowledge with us, I recorded as much as I could. He recounted his own Ankole journey, starting as a young village boy tending to his grandfather's Ankole and eventually becoming a prominent Ugandan businessman. He emphasised the importance of preserving the purity of the Ankole breed, warning against any crossbreeding that would taint their bloodline. With pride, he assured me that I would find no better Ankole in all of Uganda.

As the anticipation built, we eagerly awaited the arrival of the Ankole cattle, hoping that our long and challenging search would finally come to an end.

The sight and sound of over a thousand Ankole cattle emerging from the thickets was a breathtaking and life-changing experience. Their white crescent horns knocking together like the sound of drums, and the calming noises of the cows' bellowing and moving through the veld created an unparalleled ambiance. It was like witnessing a wave from an ocean approaching us. These Ankole were unlike any we had seen before in Uganda, surpassing the ones we had encountered on the roadside whose purity we had doubted. These Ankole were truly extraordinary and immaculately pure.

When the Ankole herd finally arrived in front of us, the rancher was pleasantly surprised by their appearance. I could see the instant joy on his face as if he were a father reuniting with his children after a long absence. Despite their low condition score due to the dry weather, they still looked healthy, strong and resilient. The rancher proudly declared that these cattle were never “spoon-fed”.  For hundreds of years this Ankole bloodline were never fed supplementary feed or ever treated with antibiotics and medicines, but only treated with local herbs and traditional medicines when necessary. They relied largely on their natural instincts and the care of dedicated herdsman. These Ankole were true survivors. I knew then, these are the Ankole genetics that would be an asset to the breed in South Africa.

We meticulously hand-selected a large number of standout Ankole from the massive herd. At his request, we followed the same careful selection process for President Ramaphosa.  With great attention to detail, we examined their horns, horn shapes, phenotype, structural integrity, body balance, and milking abilities.  We were provided with breeding records from the herdsman which reflected a productive and very fertile herd. These Ankole came from two distinct herds with bloodlines that had been passed down through generations in the rancher's family over hundreds of years. The rancher was a true stockman, using only the best Ankole bulls available to breed with his female herds. Bulls were carefully chosen for their superior traits and regularly exchanged with other Ankole ranchers to maintain genetic diversity and minimise inbreeding. For every 100 cows, there were two bulls in each herd, an older bull and a younger one. These bulls were intentionally different from each other, complementing one another. These Ankole were some of the finest in Uganda, with extravagant horn shapes, exceptional balance and quality, and remarkable hardiness.

These Ankole not only exemplified the breed's survival instincts but also represented the breed's exceptional characteristics. The rancher specifically selected for high fertility, milking traits, large frames, beef yield, good body capacity, long average horn length, and horn mass. His Ankole bloodline garnered interest from farmers within Africa and around the world. Personally, I had always favoured mottled Ankole in the past, but seeing a large number of white horns atop the dark red bodies of these Ankole in one area left me awestruck. From that moment on, I knew I would keep two herds, to showcase the beauty of both painted and royal red Ankole.

Now, our focus shifted to sourcing Ankole bulls for our breeding program. It was crucial that these bulls were unrelated to ensure genetic variety and contribute to the future of Ankole in our country. Over the next few days, our sole mission was to find these bulls. However, the environment posed its own challenges. Finding any kind of beef was difficult, and we had to rely on yogurts and apples from garages for sustenance. We even encountered unusual dining experiences, such as being served chicken wings with half the feathers still attached and being asked to assist in catching bats out the kitchen of a restaurant.

Despite the hardships, we persisted, and after a few weeks, we managed to select eight bulls from separate bloodlines in seven different districts along the cattle corridor of Uganda. They were sourced, each from distinct districts of Uganda, including but not limited to Kyankwanzi, Kiruhura, Nakaseke, Sembabule, Nakasongola, Gomba, Mbarara and Masindi. Additionally, we were fortunate to find a bull with the rare brindle coloration, which had caused conflicts among clans due to its uniqueness, this colour was specific to a royal clan and symbolised their identity. It was an emblem of their history and wars and been fought due to ownership of this coloured line.

Each bull possessed its own special and unique traits, setting them apart from one another. Some of these bulls, despite some of their young ages, already had horn sizes comparable to the top Ankole bulls in South Africa. Bringing these new bloodlines to South Africa would be a valuable asset for the local Ankole population and the conservation of the breed.

Throughout this expedition, we encountered numerous challenges, including arranging for the state vet to test the Ankole for diseases. However, the most limiting factor and obstacle was the difficulty in transferring money from South Africa to Uganda. Due to regulations, transactions between the two countries were heavily regulated by the South African Reserve Bank, causing significant delays and complications.

After successfully clearing the cattle of any diseases, we returned to Uganda months later to proceed with the loading process. However, before we could proceed, we had to make the payment to the Ugandan farmer. Unfortunately, the South African Reserve Bank imposed restrictions on sending large amounts of money from South Africa to Uganda without special permission. This posed a problem as obtaining the necessary permission would take an estimated 8 weeks, which we didn't have as our import permits to Kenya were expiring soon.

Despite being in Uganda and ready to load the cattle, we couldn't proceed until the payment reflected in the farmer's account. We anxiously waited, knowing that we had made the payment, but uncertain if the cautious farmer would receive the money. Understandably, he informed us that without the payment reflecting, he couldn't proceed with the transaction due to the financial risk involved. With only two nights left before our permit expired and the loading was scheduled to begin, the payment finally reflected in the farmer's account. However, our rancher had not arranged for any trucks, and the selected bulls had not yet arrived. Moreover, our import permit to Kenya was about to expire on the same day we planned to transport the cattle. The situation became even more critical when we realised the serious time deadlines.

The following morning, we were instructed to meet at the fuel station in town at 6 am. Despite waiting for 4 hours in the rain, there was still no news of any trucks or the Ankole rancher. One could not help then to doubt and question everything that’s happened in anxiety. We later found out that the contact struggled to organise the trucks on such short notice and was, behind the scenes unbeknown to us, working nonstop to get the show on the road.

The Ankole loading started in the rain and the Ankole cattle were reluctant to climb onto trucks as many of their feet had never left the ground in this way in their lives.

The entire day of loading Ankole left us completely penniless, utterly fatigued, drenched by the relentless rain, depleted, and still feeling the lingering effects of last night's ill-fated meal.  Feeling like this, we embarked on our expedition to Kenya.

Claire and I lost a combined 15kg from stress, lack of eating and constant food poisoning.  Our expedition was fraught with hurdles and setbacks. Despite facing financial and bureaucratic obstacles, we remained determined to complete the transaction and transport the cattle to the quarantine facility in Kenya.

We accompanied the Ankole as far as we could in Uganda, but we were warned about the potential negative consequences of our appearance (not being local) at the border and along the journey. It seemed that we would be vulnerable to traffic officers stopping us and demanding exorbitant funds in US dollars in order to continue our journey. Our experiences in Uganda thus far had involved numerous stops and fines, and when we couldn't provide money, they took our food and water. The stress of not knowing the fate of our Ankole or our representatives was unbearable.

Fortunately, our Ankole Rancher had connections which allowed us to communicate, without delay, to necessary role players.  However, another 12 hours passed, and we still hadn't received any updates from the drivers or our representatives. We were unable to reach them or find out what had happened at the border. In the meantime, we drove back from the Ugandan/Kenyan border to the airport in Entebbe during the night. We returned our rental car, boarded a flight to Kenya, arrived in Nairobi, and made our way to Ol Pejeta.

Finally, we received a call informing us that the Ugandan truck drivers had crossed the border into Kenya. However, their cell phones suddenly stopped working because they were unaware that different countries required different SIM cards. This posed a significant problem as we could no longer communicate with our drivers, and the drivers could not use GPS on their phones for directions. They were unfamiliar with the Kenyan road networks, having never driven there before. The trip took even longer than anticipated. We had no idea whether the cattle were still alive, let alone on their way. Everything we had worked for hinged on these cattle arriving safely, and if they didn't, we knew we would never recover from the loss.  Our biggest fear was that the cattle would be hi-jacked and stolen by the truck load.

The estimated 16-hour, 1000-kilometre journey across Africa to Ol Pejeta took close to 3 days. When we saw the trucks approaching on the horizon over the Kenyan plains at Ol Pejeta, it was an overwhelming experience. At that moment, nothing mattered to us except the safety and well-being of the Ankole. As the trucks pulled up to the loading ramps, the condition of the Ankole was indescribable. Claire burst into tears at the sight and frantically ran back and forth with water buckets, providing much-needed hydration to the weak cows. Meanwhile, I coordinated the safe offloading of these incredibly fragile Ankole. It was a heart-wrenching and rewarding experience at the same time.

After witnessing the hundreds of trucks filled with Ankole in Uganda heading to the abattoir and witnessing the extent of crossbreeding, I became convinced that the Ankole breed in Uganda would become extinct in less than the predicted 20 years. Although this journey for the cattle was arduous, our solace came from knowing that it was essential for the conservation of the Ankole breed and its precious bloodlines. Against all odds, they had finally made it, and we had succeeded. However, the journey was far from over. The Ankole now had to survive in the vast 36,000-hectare Ol Pejeta conservancy in Kenya, where lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, and elephant roamed freely. The only protection they had was a Maasai herdsman with a stick standing between them and the wildlife.

In Kenya, the Ankole faced a daunting requirement.  They had to secure Kenyan residency in order to be eligible for embryo production. This meant they had to survive among the big 5 wildlife in the Ol Pejeta conservancy for over a year. It was a challenging time for the cattle, who had already gone through a demanding journey. They now had to endure the harshness of the conservancy, filled with an array of dangers, including predators, before entering the quarantine centre. The fact that these cattle had not encountered predators before made this an extremely dangerous situation for them.

Unfortunately, the management and staff of Ol Pejeta saw us only as third-party grazers and showed little concern for the welfare of the cattle, despite us being paying clients and supporting the embryo station.

During the flushing process, we encountered various obstacles. Some Ankole donor cows produced excellent results, with flushes yielding ten times more embryos than  we had seen in South Africa. However, other cows did not produce any embryos at all. The cost of flushing in Kenya was significantly higher than in South Africa and had to be paid whether the cows flushed embryos or not.

Over the years, many cows died due to circumstances beyond our control. It was a situation we had to accept, although it was heartbreaking.

After a year of flushing, we were ecstatic that viable embryos were obtained.  However there were delays caused by bureaucratic processes between Kenya and South Africa, extending until late 2023.

Once the embryos were cleared for import, , we faced the highest stakes and highest risk. I was reminded of a story shared by a Boran breeder years ago, where his efforts to bring in Boran embryos from Kenya ended in disaster when his flask of embryos stored in liquid nitrogen capsized during the return flight. He unfortunately lost most of the embryos and could only produce one calf.

Nothing would have been possible without the tireless efforts of Dr. Morné de la Rey from Embryo Plus, who has been dedicated, for decades, to the conservation of the Ankole breed. No problem or obstacle, no matter how many or how frequent over the years were too great for him to overcome.  Luck was on our side and fortunately our flasks had withstood the flight to South Africa.

Once the embryos safely arrived, we experienced delays in South Africa, which lasted almost a year. Finally, in December 2023, the first embryos were transferred while going through government-mandated quarantine.

Through the passage of this timeline over the years, the investment of resources was significant , and the challenges we faced were both uplifting and disheartening. We nevertheless feel comfort in the knowledge that we have made a significant contribution to the preservation of this precious and exquisite breed.

Considering the effort throughout this endeavour, we had to make a responsible decision in determining the best way forward for the benefit of the embryos and the Ankole breed.  Our objective was to ensure the successful birth of as many calves as possible after the transfer process.  It was crucial for us to partner with a breeder who possessed exceptional facilities, extensive knowledge of the embryo process and expertise in pregnancy and calf management.

After careful consideration, we decided to join forces with Anton De Swardt and Sally Blaine from Ubhejane Wildlife.  This collaboration has proven to be a perfect match, as our shared vision for the new genetics project has flourished with immense potential and promise.

Over the years, we have developed a relationship with Anton and Sally and witnessed their exceptional expertise in managing a prime embryo facility and executing embryo processes from preparation of recipients to calving with the utmost professionalism.

We share a deep passion for Ankole and trust in Anton and Sally to continue the journey with us. Our anticipation grows as we eagerly await the arrival of the first Ankole calves of these bloodlines to take their monumental first steps on South African soil in 2024.

Post Script

At the time of writing of this article, the release of the recipient cows from quarantine had just been approved by the South African Veterinary authorities.  This is the culmination of five years’ worth of work from the three breeders and Dr Morné de la Rey and his team at Embryo Plus who invested emotionally and financially in bringing new genetics into South Africa.  To give you a sense of the financial investment to produce the embryos, here are some of the costs incurred by the breeders:

• Disease testing in Ol Pejeta, Kenya at the approximately cost of R5000 a donor animal.
• Flushing costs, per flush, of USD 1950. 124 Ankole cattle were flushed.

Quarantine costs incurred in South Africa have included feeding approximately 500 cattle at R90 a head a day. This amounts to R45 000 daily feeding costs.  The animals have been in quarantine since late October, early November 2023.  This is approximately R6 750 000 in feeding costs alone.  This excludes the testing costs that must be done on all cattle in quarantine.  All recipients were tested for Foot and Mouth Disease, Brucellosis and Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia on day 0, day 21, day 42 and day 60.  This battery of tests cost approximately R2500 per animal per round of testing.  There are also all the medicine preparation costs for all the recipient cows.  The financial costs have run into millions.

As Ankole breeders, we are indebted to the intrepid breeders and vets who undertook this perilous journey.  The new genetics are essential to building diversity in our South African herds and to our commitment to the conservation, improvement and growth of this magnificent breed.

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by atiwt