Concord Namibia coordinated all of the logistics in obtaining the teff from the South African donor and its delivery
The plight of wild horses in drought-stricken Namibia has resulted in three Industrial Services Holdings (InServe) companies stepping up to the plate to assist in delivering 112 teff bales for the Namibia Wild Horses Foundation.
According to the Foundation, the wild horses have been in the region for over 100 years. However, due to the severe drought affecting the area for the last five years, the population has declined drastically from 120 in September 2015 to about 75 at present.
InServe companies Concord AngloV3, Concord Namibia, and Afrit combined their resources to deliver 112 bales of teff, each 1.2 m long, which had been donated by a generous individual donor from South Africa.
Concord Namibia CEO Francois Smith explains that the company had deployed its mobile cranes at the Neckartal Dam site, about 40 km west of Keetmanshoop, when he was alerted to the plight of the starving wild horses by his wife, who had been born in Namibia, and had seen a Facebook post from the Namibia Wild Horses Foundation calling for assistance.
She subsequently made contact with the Foundation to inform them that the InServe companies would be able to assist. Concord Namibia coordinated all the logistics in terms of obtaining the teff from the South African donor, and its ultimate delivery to Namibia.
Anglo-V3 Crane Hire provided trucks from Rustenburg to collect the teff from its location in Brits, about 73 km away. Afrit, in turn, supplied waterproof tarpaulins and netting to cover the teff to ensure it remained dry during transit.
“Initially the plan was to just drop the teff off in Keetmanshoop, and let the Foundation transfer it 200 km to Aus, where the horses are found. However, we decided ultimately to transport all the bales directly to the feeding ground in Aus,” Smith explains. Two super-link trailer trucks, with 6 m and 12 m long trailers, were used.
Smith urged the truck drivers to attempt to photograph the wild horses, especially as sightings of these human-shy animals are so rare. Such was the hunger of the animals that they immediately approached the teff bales that were loaded from the trucks onto bakkies, and began feeding straightaway – in the presence of their human helpers.
Namibia Wild Horses Foundation Ambassador Jan Van Blerk expressed his deep gratitude to the InServe companies who had banded together to coordinate the logistics and transportation of the much-needed feedstock donated for the starving animals.
“As InServe companies, we are proud to have been able to assist with this critical conservation project. We make an urgent appeal to other companies to assist the Namibia Wild Horses Foundation in any manner that they can, especially as the drought in the Aus region is ongoing,” Smith stresses.
For more information about the Namibia Wild Horses Foundation, visit http://www.wild-horses-namibia.com/.
