Animal Stewardship
The Land Down Under was Uplifting By: Darcy Howard, Production Animal Consultation I was fortunate to experience the trip of a lifetime accompanying Ted Howard and Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz to Australia on a working visit. Dr. Kev Sullivan greeted us off a 13-hour flight at the Brisbane Airport and the adventure began… on the left side of the road. We traveled through the beautiful foliage-covered Great Dividing Range on our journey to Dr. Kev’s home in Bell, Queensland. We all kept a sharp eye out for kangaroos and wallabies. However, seeing none, we started to question if the elusive kangaroo was simply an Australian myth. The quaint rural town of Bell (population 550) is nestled in the western foothills of the Bunya Mountains. Dr. Kev and Jane Sullivan graciously hosted us in their charming home, Dolce Donum. We were welcomed by the wonderful staff at Bell Veterinary Services. We enjoyed visiting with these busy and passionate animal stewards. Dr. Kev toured Dr. Kip and Ted to the Dalby Regional Saleyards where every Wednesday five to seven thousand head are auctioned. We were greeted by Frank and Lynn Ashman providing coffee and our first ever scones (Australian biscuit with jam and cream). Dr. Kip and Ted discussed low stress cattle handling options for their new sale barn facilities. Then we embarked on the feed yard tours and training. Our first stop was Aronui Feedyard. Dr. Kip worked closely
with the stockmen on loading out fat cattle in double-decked side load trailers. The cattle trailers were very different from those we have in the United States. Ted sported his first ever riding helmet as he worked with the stockmen in the pens. Riding an Australian saddle was a new experience as well. He appreciated the o-ring bits and horsemanship from the crew. The people were amazing. Next stop was Rangers Valley near Glen Innes, New South Wales. The countryside was magnificent and the rainy weather was refreshing. Rangers Valley hosted a two-day seminar on nutrition, hoof care, horse teeth maintenance, horsemanship and stockmanship practices. Dr. Kip worked extensively in the processing barn’s bud box loading cattle into the working alley. He spent time with each stockman explaining pressure and release principles. Ted demonstrated acclimating and exercising in the pens with the stockmen. Ted also spent one afternoon working with individual’s horses. Each horse brought a different opportunity for teaching horsemanship. We learned that cattle heading to slaughter must be washed and clean. The washing station would wash up to eighty head of fats at one time over a few hours. The cattle then were taken to wood chipped pens under a shed where they would reside for a few weeks until being shipped. We stayed in the original headquarters at Rangers Valley. The Australian history and heritage of this great home was apparent throughout from the ornate fire place to the brick
