Mike Owuor
13 August 2007
column
Nairobi — For lack of a more adverse adjectival tag, Boniface Ndura's soft spot for deformed domestic animals can best be described as 'peculiar.' When in 2001 the retired teacher converted part of his expansive farm, five kilometres from Kitale town, into a sanctuary for genetically mutated animals, many people thought his head had a few unhinged bolts.
They had reason to argue thus: Land in Kitale is so precious that nobody in his right mind would afford to spare an inch for 'outcast' animals. Besides, were deformed animals not supposed to be abandoned in the wild to die because they were considered harbingers of ill luck?
"Many of my neighbours told me that I should get rid of the deformed animals because they would bring bad omen and invite curses to the entire community. When I refused and argued that the animals needed more love and care than normal ones, I seemed to confirm their worst fears: that I was really crazy," says 60-year-old Ndura.
It is a battle he might have to fight a little while longer if he is to shed off the image of 'official scapegoat.' When the rains fail, some people blame Ndura and his deformed animals. When there is too much rain, it is not uncommon for delegations of old men, with dignified mien, showing their wizened faces in Ndura's farm on missions aimed at apportioning blame for nature's unpredictability.
Exorcising evil spirits
These are views Ndura has come to regard with a pinch of salt. But sceptics and purveyors of doomsday theories seem to have transcended the borders.
"A preacher once came all the way from America to pray for the animals and for Kenya. Judging by the passion in which she carried out the prayers, it seemed obvious she was intent on exorcising evil spirits.
After the prayers she surprised me by declaring that the animals were a curse and a prelude to calamities. She told me to kill them but I took a dim view of her religious theatrics," explains Ndura. But if Ndura thought the American preacher was a zealot, the attitude of some professionals must have struck him like a thunderbolt.
"No veterinary officer was willing to attend to the deformed animals. I was frustrated but luckily I came upon one veterinary doctor who was willing to treat my animals. To date he is the only one who attends to them," says Ndura
His passion for the deformed animals is so strong that after the death of his favourite five-legged cow, which was also visitors' star attraction, he decided to embalm the carcass for posterity.
"I will do the same for deformed animals that die in future. It is expensive but with the help of experts from the National Museums of Kenya I know it is possible," he declares.
More than meets the eye
Ndura earned his first newspaper column inches when he exhibited his deformed animals at the Nairobi International Show in 2004. It was an unusual spectacle that attracted curious crowds but also drew the ire of critics who claimed the displaying of 'ugly' animals was against the spirit of an event meant to showcase agricultural success.
Unperturbed, Ndura has since transformed his expansive farm in Kitale into a government-recognised tourist site and recreational facility, the Kitale Nature Conservancy. And the deformed animals remain the star attraction.
Every week hundreds of visitors visit the conservancy to satisfy their curiosity and verify tales about the deformed animals. Are they spirits or reincarnations of sinful souls? Are they hostile creatures, bitter at being made to pay for genetic quirks? Do they graze like other animals or do they have to be put on a special diet?
When Crazy Monday hit the Kitale-Kapenguria road, the mission was to find out what makes Ndura tick and how the deformed animals survive. But nothing quite prepared us for what we were to encounter. From a distance, the lush greenery of the conservatory is punctuated by about 40 animals grazing and shoving each other like animals are wont to do. But on closer scrutiny, there seems to be more to this lot than meets the eye as the scene becomes almost surreal.
A couple of donkeys gazing philosophically at the horizon appear quite normal until we realise they do not have tails. Because the tail is important for deterring pesky insects from biting the donkeys, our guide, Tony Imbalo, says that sometimes the donkeys are so irritated by the insects that they are forced to run around wildly.
But while some animals possess anatomical deficiencies, others carry excess or multiple body parts. Several hermaphrodite animals graze peacefully, probably unaware that their collective fate is already sealed: They will never procreate.
For one animal in the hermaphrodite herd, the problem of having both the male and female organs is compounded by a deformity in the urinary system that makes the animal urinate through its udders. It is not a particularly comfortable position to be in but the animal shows few visible signs of discomfort.
The most trying moment for these animals is when they are on heat. At such times the spirit may be willing but the body is unable to perform, leading to considerable restlessness.
Changing peoples attitude
But the most baffling deformed animal is a soot black bull that has four horns, three eyes that blink simultaneously and a mouth that is so deformed that when looked at from certain angles it resembled three mouths in one.
However, the animal seems to have developed a way of grazing using one corner of the mouth. Moses Longitio, who takes care of the deformed animals, has christened the endowed bull 'Less,' although 'More' would have best suited it. But whether you want to see more or less at the conservancy, there is a range of deformity pick from.
For example you will find a tri-horned goat, a five-legged sheep, a three-legged goat and a sheep that walks like a hyena because its hind legs are shorter than the front ones. And then there is 'Mzungu,' a bully of a goat that walks boisterously with a tinge of self-importance that instantly demands respect from lesser creatures.
You can't blame 'Mzungu' though: He is bow legged. For his macho image, 'Mzungu' is a favourite of Longitio.
"The few animals that reproduce have normal offspring," says Longitio, who comes from Turkana South District. The Turkana community believes that deformed animals should be killed upon birth so Longitio would have been castigated if he tried taking care of such animals in his community.
Ndura buys most of the deformed animals from the North Rift region, especially from the Turkana and Pokot communities as well as areas of Trans Nzoia District. Ironically, the same people who would have killed the deformed animals sell them to Ndura at four times the price of normal livestock.
"I can't complain too much about the cost of buying the deformed livestock. What makes me happy is that people are changing their attitude towards such animals. This means a lot to me. The deformed animals have a right to live and nobody should kill or be cruel to them," explains Ndura who believes that for some yet to be established reason, there are more deformed animals in the North Rift than any other place in Kenya.
"Some people have said it could be some minerals in the soil or plants in the area that cause the genes to mutate, leading to deformed offspring. Nobody knows," he says. According to him, the sooner research is done on this phenomenon the better because the deformities might cross over to future generations of human beings if not checked.
"The same way viruses of diseases like Aids, bird flu and mad cow disease have mutated over time and managed to cross over to human beings is the same way these deformities are likely to cross to human beings. This is no idle talk, it is real," claims Ndura with so much passion that one probably has to have a heart of stone to resist the urge to wallow in similar thought.
This hypothetical situation could see many people being born with more limbs than necessary, two heads, hermaphrodite characteristics and other weird deformities. Sounds scary, but Ndura believes it a scenario that is not far fetched.
Some recent bizarre births among animals in various parts of the country seem to beef up Ndura's line of argument that there are more strange happenings than anyone cares to admit. In June and July this year KTN carried two separate stories of strange kids (offspring of goats) in Mombasa and Central province, both with distinct human features. One had human-like legs while the other had a human-like head.
"This is obviously a result of bestiality," said one bemused 'witness,' commenting on the Central Kenya case to a KTN reporter. Fortunately or unfortunately the strange kid died. But Ndura believes such happenings only call for more research and he is willing to let his deformed animals be used as a basis for research.
"University students from all over the world have visited this place. In 2005 a delegation from the University of Nairobi and the Ministry of Livestock came and promised to sponsor a PhD student to study the deformed animals in this area.
To date I have not heard from them," says Ndura, adding that several foreign researchers have approached him but at the moment he prefers the involvement of local scientists who, nonetheless, seem to be dragging their feet.
For now, Ndura still has to change the attitude of not only superstitious neighbours but also those who claim to love the animals. Every time somebody professes love for the deformed animals, Ndura poses a simple question: "If I slaughter this deformed animal right now, will you be willing to eat the meat?" Most people answer in the negative, to his amusement.
So what makes Ndura tick?
"I like thinking outside the box,' he says. To prove that he is not as 'crazy' as some of his neighbours imagine, Ndura mentions that he is a father of six who retired ten years ago after teaching for 30 years under the TSC. He is also the proprietor and head teacher of All Saints academy in Kitale, one of the largest low cost private primary schools in the country. But there are no prizes for guessing where his true passion now lies .
As we approach the exit of the Kitale Nature Conservancy, a dog dashes past us, barking and wagging its tail excitedly as if bidding us farewell. It is obvious that like the other deformed animals, being three-legged does no seem to be an inhibition to the dog, Lex.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 The East African Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
