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Fascination |
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A Symbol of Unlimited
Freedom
The Wild Horses of the Namib attract thousands of tourists
each year. And every so often they cause headlines and
relief efforts. Like in 1991/92, or again in 1998/99,
when the horses were starving as a result of drought and
weaker animals perished. As soon as photos of the emaciated
animals are published, grannies raid their money-boxes,
teenage girls sacrifice their piggybanks for fodder or
for catching the horses and taking them to farms. The
readiness to rush to the rescue is as overwhelming as
some humanitarian aid organisations can only dream of.
Why is it that the Wild Horses touch people deep down
in their hearts? What is it that gets us so enthusiastic
about them? |
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Photo: Telané Greyling |
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No
doubt the mysterious origins of the Wild Horses
are part of their allure, but it is not the real
issue. Rather, we are fascinated because the horses
have gained the freedom to live according to their
own rules. They have broken free from their man-given
role of stud, show-jumper or hobby-companion. They
have rediscovered their natural behaviour and their
own social rules.
Don't we all dream of liberating ourselves of the
constraints of civilisation? |
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Taking a sand bath.
Photo: Telané Greyling |
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We are also fascinated by the habitat which
the horses have chosen. Between 100 and 150 horses share
an area of 350 km² - in purely mathematical terms
this translates into 2.3 km² per horse. The vastness
of the desert instead of a paddock or stable. Which city-dweller
doesn't yearn for a place where he can be alone and enjoy
some breathing space? |
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And we are fascinated because the Wild
Horses have conquered an alien world. Life in the desert
is harsh. But there is also triumph in coping with adverse
conditions like heat, drought, wind and freezing temperatures.
Who doesn't admire Robinson Crusoe for coming to terms
with nature without the gadgets of modern technology? |
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| Freedom,
space, nature – these are the qualities which
man has lost as a result of civilisation and for
which he yearns from deep within. It is no coincidence
that these elements are often found in advertisements
for cars or cigarettes. Freedom, space and nature
are also the reason why Germans have been emigrating
to Namibia since the age of industrialisation and
why holiday-makers from Europe come to visit the
country year after year. The Wild Horses have something
which |
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Photo: Telané Greyling |
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not only fascinates us, but for which we
actually envy them. |
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But the envy turns into pity as soon as
freedom and nature take their toll - that is, when horses
starve or even perish during a drought. Man's compulsion
to intervene may be an echo of his guilty conscience towards
the creature which - in his zealous attempts to take control
of Earth - he crammed into reserves and zoos. With regard
to the Wild Horses there is another factor: they are often
seen as domestic animals for which man feels an added
obligation to care. But these horses are no longer domestic.
They are part of nature, uncontrolled by man, and as such
subject to the rules of nature. The death of weak animals
at times of drought is the natural cycle taking its course. |
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Horses rarely sleep lying down as
seen in this picture.
Photo: Telané Greyling |
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This does not mean that the horses should
be left to fend for themselves. But the time has come
to replace the myth around the horses with a realistic
picture. And to get us to think about whether the skinny
horse that we pity isn't happier than the handsome steed
in its dark stable. Or happier than us in our two-bedroom
apartment on the fifth floor. |
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Photo: Telané Greyling |
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© 2007 Nature Investments (Pty) Ltd |
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- More pictures at www.namibhorses.com
- For a detailed media release see
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www.gondwana-desert-collection.com
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