Namibian records for game auction sales were shattered at a hybrid game auction in Windhoek this weekend.
A kudu bull set the Namibian record price at a whopping N$4.5 million, while an oryx sold for N$3.1 million.
At that exact point in Windhoek, existing records were shattered into pieces when expert auctioneer Brandon Leer closed the bid on a kudu bull from the Gobabis area with a horn size of 68 inches, more than 1.7 metres.
“For very many reasons, this was an unbelievable auction, very exciting and just great all around, really,” said Leer.
The auction was hosted by Blaauwberg Auctioneers, with the online platform hosted by Meerkat.
Behind it were Super Game’s Martenique Scott and Jan Blaauw, where a total of 74 lots of wild animals, including white rhinos, waterbucks, melanistic zebras, golden oryxes, springboks, sables, white-flanked impalas and, of course, kudus, were put under the hammer.
“If I am not mistaken, this was probably the second-highest turnover of a game auction in this country, which was exceptional. I think we raised just over N$26 million for 74 lots of animals, which is actually quite spectacular,” Leer said.
Deep pockets were dug into, and among the top six sales was the kudu bull for N$4.5 million, followed by an oryx bull, which fetched N$3.1 million, and another kudu bull for N$1.5 million. The rhino went for N$725,000, while the white-flanked impala ram pulled in N$800,000, and a waterbuck bull, boasting a horn length of more than 38 inches, fetched N$450,000.
According to Leer, this has now become an elite auction.
“This auction is now focusing on elite genetics and accurate pedigrees, and we were thrilled that the sellers who invested time, effort, and money into producing these animals were rewarded yesterday.”
But what makes Namibian animals so exceptional?
“Namibia is such a healthy environment for game in their natural state, and I think that is what makes the genetics here automatically exceptional. So now we are taking these animals that are already in a suitable environment, and we pair them off with spectacular individuals. I just think that the huge open spaces that you have here in Namibia, just the ability of these animals to range and roam freely and multiply freely, is quite unique in Africa and elsewhere in the world.”
This was the sixth Super Game auction.