The 90-mile stretch of highway between Tucson and Phoenix has only one interesting landmark, but it is visible for nearly twenty miles in either direction: the enormous, oddly shaped Picacho Peak. Little wonder that D.C. Cogburn chose to construct his amazing ostrich operation at its base. The ranch has a sign—the peak itself—that is larger and more durable than any that a marketing expert could design. When I moved to Tucson in 1999, one of my first acts of recreation was to drive out there and feed the ostriches. I didn’t enjoy the actual feeding experience (that is, being bitten), but rather the opportunity to stand close to those prehistoric animals and admire their reptillian feet and their human eyes. Ostriches are built to last, with legs that can outrun lions, stomachs that can handle acidic desert water, and skin that can withstand the scorching sun. So it was shocking when I heard on National Public Radio (All Things Considered, 2005) that two hot air balloons caused the deaths of over half of the 1,600 ostriches on The Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch. It didn’t take much research, however, to learn that not only ostriches, but also chickens, turkeys, cows, horses, and pigs are absolutely terrified by the sound and the sight of hot air balloons. |
