Vergenoegd Löw The Wine Estate, at the foot of the Helderberg Mountain Range and on the Stellenbosch wine route, has acquired soldiers for its vineyards in the form of ducks.
Flocks of about 500 brown, white and black ducks hunt for snails and bugs as they patrol the grapevines of the estate, which dates from 1696.
These Indian Runner ducks work as natural pest controllers.
Corius Visser, the manager of the estate, told Reuters that they refer to the ducks as their soldiers.
One of the ducks is at the head of the flock and leads them throughout the farm. Like soldiers, the ducks follow their leader and march in a convoy through the vines.
Merle Holdsworth, a tourist, said she was amazed by how mannered the ducks were.
“It’s amazing how they behave themselves and walk in a row – it’s like they’re in the army,” she said.
The ducks follow a daily routine. In the morning they go to the vineyards to prevent crop damage and in the evening they return home to peck at pellets of nutritious bird food.
A worker at the wine farm, Yodell Scholtz, has been rearing the ducks for the past two years.
“It’s almost like raising your own children, so I enjoy it a lot,” Scholtz said.
Compiled by Mashudu Mabila
Pictured above: The army of duck soldiers in the vineyards
Image source: Reuters
