Farmer still stunned after buck fetched record price

[caption id="attachment_38811" align="alignright" width="300"] Suzanne and Petri Snyman[/caption]

PETRI Snyman is still astonished after Top Deck, his white saddleback blesbuck, shattered a national record price at the Kirkwood Wildsfees's game auction on Friday.

Snyman said yesterday he found it difficult to believe his prize ram had sold for R7.8-million, only a few weeks after the previous record of R4.2-million was set in Limpopo for a saddleback blesbuck.

"If I could rename that blesbuck I would call it Grace, because the return on that investment has truly been an unexpected blessing from God," he said.

The white saddleback blesbuck is an extremely rare breed, with about 50 specimens that only occur in South Africa.

"I was shocked and surprised. My reserve price was R2.8-million, but when the bidding started at R3-million the whole auction went absolutely quiet. - Riaan Marais