Two Cheetah released on Kulala Wilderness Reserve

Sighting:           Two Cheetah released on Kulala Wilderness Reserve
Location:          Kulala Desert Lodge, Kulala Wilderness Reserve, Namibia
Date:                27 June 2010
Observer:         Jennifer Dickinson and Kulala staff
Photographer:   Jennifer Dickinson

The excitement was tangible on Kulala Wilderness Reserve when two male cheetah arrived at Kulala Desert Lodge on the afternoon of the 27th of June 2010.  The two were translocated from the commercial farmland area of Witvlei and had been kept at N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary for three weeks. They are both estimated about four years old, in the prime of their lives, weighing around 50kg each.

A film crew from Carte Blanche (South African current affairs investigative series) also spent the night at Kulala Desert Lodge to film the release.  In the early hours of the following morning the Carte Blanche Team together with Rudie and Marlice van Vuuren, the owners of N/a’an ku sê, visited the famous red dunes of Sossusvlei, which served as a backdrop to part of the release documentary as well as putting the nearby location of Kulala Wildernes Reserve into context.  Each of the three camps on the reserve were allowed to have one vehicle present at the release site, so as not to overwhelm the cheetah, but allowing for heightened awareness and education to all camp staff ranging from housekeepers to waiters, guides and camp managers.

The release cage with its precious cargo was brought to the designated spot on the back of a Land Rover and set down about 30m from the side of the road. Marlice warned that everyone should be ready with their cameras because once the cage door is lifted the cats usually rush out one after the other as quickly as possible.  The two cheetah seemed comfortable in their cage however and had no plans of leaving it!  After much prompting and trying different ideas the males eventually left the cage and sauntered off towards the cover of the dry Tsauchab riverbed. Radio collars were also fitted to help monitor their movements.

This is not the first time that cheetah have been released on Kulala Wilderness Reserve – another two (male and female) were released in May 2009. Spotted hyaena unfortunately killed the female in June of the same year. It is hoped that this latest release attempt will add further to the carnivore diversity of the Reserve and the greater Namib Naukluft area. Once an area of subsistence goat farming, it is a privilege to be able to provide safe refuge in the rehabilitated arid ecosystem of Kulala for such rare and beautiful creatures.

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