Wild Horses and Technology

En-route to a delivery near Rotterdam this morning, I took my favourite scenic route through the Oostvaarderplassen wildlife nature reserve.

There’s a viewpoint overlooking a huge plain that always reminds us of Africa. Occassionally we see herds of Heck Cows and at other times herds of Red Deer.

But we’ve heard of a herd of horses that lived in the region, and on occassion have seen a horse (or two) here and there … 

But today. Wow. I had to stop the car and take pic. There must have been about 3 or 4 hundred Konik horse roaming around wild and free.

As I started snapping away, a trucker pulled up, even blocking the road, to witness this spectacle. His first words? “Het is net als Afrika” [It's just like Afrika] to which I replied, “Ja, maar zonder pyjama’s” [Yes, but without the pyjamas].

Even though they sport the same black mane, instead of a Zebbie’s black and white stripes, Konik horses wear muted shades of grey and brown.

It was amazing to see how many foals had been born. Life must be good!

It is weird having railway tracks running alongside a nature reserve, but this photograph epitomises what I love about Holland - technology meets wildlife and nature!

The Dutch have made a conscious effort to provide a good balance between meeting the needs of us folks while still leaving room for nature and wild animals.

It works for me, and I always feel relaxed taking my favourite route, knowing that I could spot some sort of wildlife at any time, even a fox sniffing around at 8am some Saturday morning! Awesome.