Africa is in Mallorca. At least, that’s how it feels. Those who visit the ostrich farm “Artestruz” near Campos find tranquility, enjoy the vast plains, and encounter many unusual birds.
Every child wants to ride Nelson. Although he only has two legs, no pony in the world can compete with him. The 150-kilogram ostrich can reach speeds of 70 km/h if needed, for up to half an hour. But for the little riders, the 2.5-meter tall bird walks calmly.
The ride lasts about fifteen minutes, accompanied by two farmers for added safety. As a thank you, Nelson receives a tomato, which he devours eagerly without chewing. We can watch as the ball slowly slides from his beak down his long neck, finally disappearing into his feathers.
If the little riders are lucky, Nelson leaves behind a few feathers as a parting gift. They can take them home. Additionally, the children receive a t-shirt with an ostrich design, included in the ride package.
Luxury Ostrich
The ride is a valuable experience, though not cheap (check current prices directly at the farm). Feeding the ostriches, on the other hand, is also a lot of fun and costs just a few euros.
Uri Löffler, who runs the farm with his wife and two grown children, appreciates every sponsored bag of feed. An ostrich can eat large amounts and, between meals, consumes some stones to aid digestion. Maintaining these exotic birds is expensive.
But ostriches have a lot to offer: one ostrich egg is equivalent to two dozen chicken eggs and contains less cholesterol than a single chicken egg. Ostrich meat is very healthy and delicious.
Ostrich leather is highly sought after worldwide and is therefore expensive. Beautiful lamps can be made from the eggshells. The feathers are used for decoration or as anti-static dusters, especially suitable for screens.
Artestruz Store
The word “Art” in “Artestruz” is no coincidence. Uri Löffler works the valuable leather into elegant shoes, bags, and belts. A pair of ostrich leather shoes costs several hundred euros.
But they last forever, Löffler assures. In several international metropolises, the farm’s founder has business partners: exclusive shops that offer the high-quality leather goods. There, customers can also place custom and made-to-order requests. His son Jonathan focuses on the eggs, creating artistic lamps from the shells. With colorful images, finely engraved patterns, or simple and elegant designs in Mediterranean mounts.
Ostrich Dances
Seeing the perfectly crafted products, it’s hard to imagine that Uri and Jonathan are self-taught. The family enjoys their self-sufficient lifestyle and takes on the economic responsibility.
The Löfflers brought the idea of the ostrich farm from their years in South Africa. Their children grew up on the farm. In times of crisis, such a capital-intensive business is not easy, as an ostrich costs around 7,000 euros. But Uri Löffler always has new ideas.
For the future, he plans to build simple African-style huts that visitors can rent to observe the ostriches at night. At dusk, these birds perform very graceful dances. Ostriches need very little sleep. New research on ostrich sleep was published by the Max Planck Society in August 2011 (Ostriches Sleep Like Platypuses).
Currently, you can’t spend the night at the farm, but you can enjoy a delicious dinner on the restaurant terrace. Dishes made from ostrich meat or ostrich eggs are served. A unique setting to celebrate the Mallorcan sunset!
Address and contact info:
Artestruz
Ma-6014, km 40
07630 Campos
Phone.: +34 639721735
More information on the farm’s website: www.artestruzmallorca.com
Activities near the Artestruz ostrich farm
3,6 km
7,5 km
