Duck

What do 900 ducks have to do with one of South Africa’s top vineyards?

Animals
Conservation
South Africa

Wine and duck are a classic pairing. But you’ve never seen it done quite like this. Vergenoegd Wine Farm has made a flock of over 900 Indian Runner Ducks the key to their success – an innovative method of pest control delighting visitors and environmentalists alike.

On the farm, the low maintenance birds are monitored in a breeding pen and they are released twice a day, in mornings and afternoons. The flock protects the vineyard by eating snails and other pests, while also attracting tourists to the wine farm. The novel method of pest control has earned the vineyard a WWF biodiversity certification for their clean business practices.

The Indian Runner Ducks show the possibilities that open up when natural means replace artificial methods of agriculture. If conservation becomes a priority, it can only yield positive results.

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