Koot had been part of the industry since 1989 when he took a position at the then Taurus Livestock Improvement Co-operative’s bull station in Bloemfontein. He was deeply grateful for what he had learned at Taurus and for the people who influenced his life at the time. Dr Hugh Seton, Dr Ernst Arndt, Dr Nico Schutte and Prof Johan Nöthling were his mentors.
Koot was known for being attuned to animals and for his ability to collect semen from difficult bulls. His instinct for animals, he said, was a God-given gift for which he could take no credit.
Every animal deserves respect
“Animals have no sense of what you want to do with them. They simply think you want to harm them, so it is up to you to make them understand what they need to do. This, I found, is half the battle won. Every animal in front of me presented a new challenge. I believe every animal deserves respect.
This story is from the August 2021 edition of Stockfarm.
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This story is from the August 2021 edition of Stockfarm.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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