| Information sheets | | | Elsenburg infopaks | | | Animals, species: 4 |
Karakuls
Afrikaans | Xhosa
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The Karakul industry is synonymous with the arid parts of Namibia and the North Western Cape.
Karakul sheep are not indigenous to South Africa. About 750 Karakuls were imported to Namibia from Asia at the beginning of the century and over a period of two decades. From there the breed also spread to the Northern Cape and surrounding areas. |
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Indigenous sheep-breeds like the Blackhead Persian and |
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the Namaqua Afrikaner were especially suitable for the upgrading of the Karakul. The numbers of Karakul increased rapidly until it reached its peak of more than 5 million for Namibia and South Africa in 1979. |
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The Karakul is characterised by its wide adaptability to |
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dry and semi-desert areas. |
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Distinctive breed characteristics are the pelt and fat tail as well as the sloping rump and respiratory appearance. The latter refers to the conformation characteristics that enable the breed to adapt to extreme climatic conditions (for instance a moderate angle of ribs and a lanky appearance like that of smaller buck). The primary value of Karakul-breeding above other farming systems lies in the fact that lambs can be slaughtered very soon after birth for their pelts and the ewe is then no longer tied down by lactation. During dry conditions this is a big advantage if the ewe does not have to rear a lamb - the nutritional needs of a lactating ewe is about twice as high as that of a dry ewe. |
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Karakul lambs are usually evaluated within 36 hours after birth and those lambs that comply with the requirements for quality are slaughtered for their pelts. |
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The pelts are washed very well under running water and spread out on hessian frames to dry. |
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When the pelts are dry after 3 to 4 days they are removed from the frames and |
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stored in pelt boxes for marketing. |
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The tails of ewe lambs that are kept for further breeding are usually amputated by means of rubber bands so as to make mating easier. The fat reserves, normally stored in the tail, are then stored in the rump and the intestines of the ewe. |
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Karakuls are shorn twice a year. |
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The hair clippings are then used in the manufacturing of
durable floor-rugs, wall-hangings, coats and curtains.
Karakul fur is known in the fur trade as SWAKARA and is mainly used in the European and Eastern countries for fashion items in fur, like elegant coats, jackets and stoles. The natural variety that is so important for any fashion item is obtained by differences in the development of the curl and variations in patterns. |
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Four main types of curl are found, namely pipe curl, developed shallow curl, shallow curl and watered silk. The angle at which the hair turns determines the type of curl. At the moment the smoother fur, namely shallow curl and watered silk, is fashionable.
Four natural colours occur, namely black, grey, white and brown. Approximately 90% of the total production is black.
SWAKARA auctions are held three times per year in Copenhagen in Sweden. The 1998 price of pelts was more than R150 each, which makes the Karakul trade very competitive with other types of trade. |
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The socio-economic value of Karakul farming in the more arid areas of the Northern Cape cannot be overemphasised. The riskiness of this type of farming as a result of the fluctuation of prices in the world of fashion could be overcome by diversifying the farming system on the farm, for example 60% Karakul and 40% mutton breeds. This ratio could be adapted further according to current price and grazing conditions. |
T Steyn
ELSENBURG / UPINGTON Karakul research
station
