For many years Namibia has been, primarily, a Karakoel sheep producer.
The late Thys van Schalkwyk
In 1964, the late farmer and father of Pieter van Schalkwyk, Thys van Schalkwyk was the first to pioneer the change to, and establish, the Dorper breed in Namibia on their farm, Samehaling. Since then there are only Dorpers bred on the Samehaling farm. This sheep farming was very successful in this country due to the foresight and knowledge of Thys van Schalkwyk.
Today more than 80% of all the sheep of Namibia are Dorpers, and this the main source of income in the south. In the Kalahari, with its long distances, extreme temperatures and limited grazing, it is essential that farming management and genetic selection be very carefully planned and done in order to be profitable. The 3,000 Dorper sheep on Samehaling have been bred over 40 years and add monetary value to the farmer under extreme circumstances.
Samehaling has a variety of landscape from dolomite rock formation and `rantjies’ to red sand dunes and savannah grass. The sand dunes are on average 40m apart with a maximum height of 25m. Loose sand makes it very difficult for animals to graze here. Samehaling Dorpers are bred to thrive here.
