Rare Breeds Farm on Kangaroo Island: With Ron Kandelaars on Kangaroo Island
When Nicholas Baudin sailed around the coastline of Kangaroo Island in 1802 he came across a strange collection of the weird and the wonderful. On the remote western end, the Frenchman found a remarkable creature - the Pigmy Emu. Baudin thought it resembled a cassowary and he named the location where he saw it - Ravine de Casoars. Soon after official settlement the Pigmy Emu became extinct and the story of this remarkable bird so specific to KI would end with its passing.
But Nicholas Baudin and his party would add to KI's genetic stock in a practice typical of those sailing the globe on their voyages of discovery. In this case, he released some pigs on Kangaroo Island.
William Marshall, Rare Breeds Farm: "The breed is actually quite unique. They come from one pair of pigs that Nicholas released on his voyage around Australia in January 1802. As he was leaving the island they left just one pair of pigs."
Over the past 200 years or more, the Baudin Pig as it's now called, has certainly taken a shine to KI. William Marshall's pride and joy "Ribs" was caught at the western end of Kangaroo Island several years ago, and recently sired a litter of piglets.
There's no doubting these pigs are cute but give them a few months and they'll display the table manners their name suggests. "Ribs" and his many offspring love to dig - the snout firmly entrenched in the soft KI dirt in search of who knows what.
William Marshall, Rare Breeds Farm: "Pigs are highly intelligent. They rate them equally or arguable more intelligent than a dog."
This Einstein of the farmyard is certainly a hit on William's tours of the Rare Breeds Farm located just off the North Coast Road about two kilometres west of Stokes Bay.
William Marshall: "These little pigs have gone on and bred in genetic isolation for 200 years and have evolved into a unique strain, which genetically you won't find anywhere else in the world."
And William says that genetic uniqueness is worth preserving for a host of reasons - some of which are only now becoming increasingly clear.
William Marshall: "They've done some tests on these and they've actually got a lower white blood cell count than other pigs and a different red cell count to other pigs. Also, the alilles in their DNA are unique and working just a slightly different way to that of other pigs.
"So a few of these are in a laboratory somewhere and they actually use them in biomedical research to test anti rejection drugs. So if anyone has had an organ transplant it's likely that they have been trialled on these pigs."
William is passionate about genetic diversity - hence the array of animals on show including Nadudana cows from Sri Lanka, Scottish Highland Cattle and the African Goose - which by the way comes from Mainland China.
There are more than 25 different breeds or exotic animals from all over the world. They include blackheaded Persian sheep originally from Somalia in Africa and some large black pigs from England - Strangely enough the official names of their breed is the large black pig.
William went to great lengths to transform what was once a common-everyday South Aussie farm with a few merinos and ... into a haven for the exotic and he did so because he fears the potential impact of globalised farming with it's fixation on a few standard breeds.
William Marshall: "I guess the best example in history to justify why it's good to keep diversity is the Irish Potato Famine. Obviously they grew one variety of potato which was susceptible to a strain of blight and it wiped out the entire crop and caused famine."
But leaving aside issues of global food shortage - who would want to be left short when it comes to the marvelous genetic diversity on show at the Rare Breeds Farm, Without it you might not get to see the Kangaroo Island Bronze Turkey, with a face only a mother could love. From strange snoog-snouted turkeys to Wessex Saddleback pigs... It's all on show on the North Coast of KI.
If you'd like to visit this haven for all creatures great and small then take the North Coast Road on Kangaroo Island. The Rare Breeds Farm is located just west of Stokes Bay. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
Rare Breeds Farm
North Coast Road
Just west of Stokes Bay
Kangaroo Island
Open Tues to Sat
Tour Times 10.30am 11.30am 1.30pm 2.30pm
Contact 8559 2115Published 16th August 2009
