Youngster surprises with Ankole research
Her father’s reply to her great discovery was, “you’re brilliant, why have I not thought of it.
Being a veterinarian runs in the De la Rey family and the adage an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree rings true when it comes to the young Je-Miné. Her grandfather was a vet, and so are both her parents.
Last week at the first national Ankole auction in Mpumulanga, the 14-year-old grade 8 learner at Hoërskool Waterkloof, Je-Miné de la Rey, reaped the fruits of research she did two years ago.
At age 12, her research on how to determine the age of an Ankole, contributed significantly to the results achieved in the field of genetics studies.
“An Ankole bull was sold for R3-million at the auction and I was delighted to have played a part in producing such a magnificent animal.
“I want our country’s Ankole to have superior genes. I want our Ankole to be as impressive as that of Uganda,” she said.
Youngest of three and the only daughter, Jé-Mine said she had always loved spending time with her father on his farm among his cattle.
“He farms in Brits with mainly Nguni and Ankole cattle. He imported Ankole from Uganda via Kenya by means of transferring their embryos to South Africa. Cattle from Uganda cannot be imported to South Africa due to risks relating to diseases.”
She said her research was prompted by president Cyril Ramaphosa who has Ankole cattle of his own. He approached her father, who owns Embrio Plus.
“He posed a question to my father that my father did not know the answer to. Namely, how do you determine the age on an Ankole.
“Embryo yield is best when the animals are between ages seven and 10 years. That is why it was important to determine the age of the animals.
“I remembered sea lions’ age can be determined by counting the rings on their teeth. And I know other kinds of cattle’s horns disclose the number of calves a cow has had by counting the rings.”
Je-Miné said she thought of many things and looked at the horns attentively.
“We knew that if there were no rings on the horns, a calf was between one and three-years-old. So I counted the rings and added three for the three years when an Ankole is a calf, which proved to be accurate. I called it the three factor,” she said.
“But only to realise, when I discovered an Ankole carcass, that the rings representing those three years were indeed formed, however, beneath the hairline. And then it all made perfect sense. So one counts all the rings on the horns, that is how you determine an Ankole’s age.”
Her father’s reply to her great discovery was, “you’re brilliant, why have I not thought of it”, Jé-Mine chuckled.
Je-Miné’s mother, now retired, was a small animal vet who treated cats and dogs. Her father is a practising wildlife vet. He, however, also practices his keen interest in genetics.
Her two older brothers also studied veterinary science. One is currently completing his community service year, and the other, studied biochemics and currently genetics.
Je-Mine said she would like to follow suit.
“For sure going to study veterinary, I am just not sure which field yet.”
She also enjoys music, drama, dancing and debates.
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