It all started with a cat named Thandeka. 

 

Thandeka (which means "the loved one" in Xhosa) arrived at Mount Camdeboo in 2007. She established her territory and settled into our hearts immediately. Three litters and eight years later, Tandeka is still going strong, despite a serious break to her back leg in December 2014. In fact, she is such an amazing cat that, even after spending nine months in a boma recuperating, the day she was released back into the reserve she caught a young springbok for lunch. She's just that good. 

 

But Thandeka isn't our only cheetah. We also have a young male that we recently re-collared and are already  actively monitoring. He and Thandeka will be closely followed by both our conservation programme and our lodge staff. 

 

Why are we so concerned with our cheetah? Because these cats need all the help they can get. 

 

Cheetah once roamed Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. But between two devastating factors – the last ice age and humans – cheetah populations have crashed. Not only have they been severely crippled by habitat loss and human/wildlife conflict (particularly with regards to agriculture), but their genetic diversity is miniscule as a result of their extinction in North America and Europe, and their exploitation and hunting by humans in the areas where they do still exist.

 

For centuries, cheetah were used as status symbols and hunting companions by royalty and the elite. Because the cats have a reputation for being easily tamed, they were bought as pets and then often discarded when they got 'out of hand'. Even today there is a pet trade for them. Cheetahs are beautiful creatures, but they are certainly not suitable pets.

 

We believe cheetah should be kept as wild as possible, so you won't see any cheetah petting here. In fact, we don't touch these animals unless it is absolutely necessary. Any interference with them is purely on a conservation basis, and we keep our physical contact with them to an absolute minimum.  

 

We keep close tabs on them because we want to make sure ours remain healthy, and that any cubs that are born are properly relocated by the appropriate professional channels at the appropriate age, thus continuing to keep the genetic line as diverse as possible. And while we maintain our fences, aardvarks and porcupine do happen, and occasionally holes appear as a result. We need to make sure none of our cats have taken a gap and wandered off onto another property, potentially putting their lives in danger. It's certainly a full-time job keeping track of them, but we absolutely love it.   

 

We have cheetah on the reserve for a number of reasons. First, they add to the biodiversity, allow for natural selection and curb the numbers of primary consumers who would otherwise breed until their food source ran out. Second, them being a critically endangered species, we would like to contribute to helping them, even if it is as minor as having two of these magnificent animals on the reserve.

 

Thandeka has certainly done her part for the conservation of her kind as well – she has had a total of thirteen cubs so far in her time here! As each of those cubs came of age and would've normally needed to start looking for an area of their own, they became part of the Cheetah Metapopulation Project, managed by the Endangered Wildlife Trust. Based on their genetics, they were moved to other reserves, where they would ensure that the strongest genetic diversity is maintained.

 

We will continue to do our part to save this species. Here's hoping that Thandeka might also continue to contribute her genes to the cause.