CHEETAH
– Acinonyx jubatus
CHEETAH
– Acinonyx jubatus
CHEETAH
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Racing towards extinction
It’s the world’s fastest land mammal, but ironically cheetahs are also racing towards extinction. Only about 7 000 of these elegant cats remain on earth, and cheetah have already disappeared from 90 percent of their natural home ranges across Africa; southern Africa is now their only stronghold. Key reasons for declining cheetah numbers are habitat loss and persecution by stock farmers and hunters, but conflict with other predators as well as the illegal, exotic pet trade have also contributed to cheetah depopulation.
Sanbona Wildlife Reserve stepped up to the challenge to conserve cheetah and provide them with sanctuary space. Today, the reserve is a respected leader in cheetah conservation on private reserves in southern Africa, and is pivotal in helping to restore the population across the region and deeper into Africa.
Photo by Marco Fitchet
Karoo cheetah bloodline
It wasn’t always this way though. Cheetah were once widespread in the Karoo, but were hunted until locally extinct. It’s documented that the last animal was killed by farmers in the Beaufort West area in the 1860s, and with it died the Karoo cheetah bloodline. It took nearly 150 years for cheetah to again roam wild in the magnificent landscape of the Little Karoo.
Photo by Liesl Vorster
Photo by Liesl Vorster
groundbreaking conservation effort
In a groundbreaking conservation effort in 2003, Sanbona Wildlife Reserve became the first protected area in the Western Cape to reintroduce cheetah back into the wild. Eight cats were brought in and history was made: cheetahs were again resident in the Little Karoo. These animals would need to be strong and resourceful to survive in this harsh landscape, where prey density is low and the terrain rough for high speed chases. Finding food here is hard work; only the fittest and most tenacious survive.
successfully translocated from Sanbona
Within three years of their arrival, all of the original eight cheetah died from various causes. Importantly, one female and two males lived successfully on Sanbona – proving that conditions here are suitable for cheetah, though only the toughest ones. Her brothers were the first cheetah to be successfully translocated from Sanbona in 2007. Two more cheetah, this time from the arid Kalahari, were brought in to encourage breeding prospects. These two thrived using hunting skills honed for arid terrain and low prey densities. For nine years the cheetah did Sanbona proud and bred successfully.
These were the boom years of Sanbona’s cheetah and in total 18 offspring were relocated to far flung reserves around South Africa, where they continue to thrive and instill their strong genetics into other cheetah populations. Sanbona’s cheetahs are also expert hunters in diverse terrains and have been observed chasing spotted hyenas off carcasses and even taking down large kudu cows. One Sanbona male symbolised the successful reintroduction of cheetah to Malawi. He was translocated to Liwonde National Park in 2017 and sired numerous cubs, before being killed by a crocodile. Until his arrival, cheetah had been extinct in Malawi for nearly 30 years.
TRANSLOCATION TIMELINE
| 2012 | Madikwe (Liwonde (2017), Welgevonden (2015), Phinda (2015), Manyoni (2020) |
| 2014 | Godwana |
| 2014 | Rietvlei (uMkuze (2017), Manyoni (2018/2019) |
| 2015 | Godwana |
| 2015 | Garden Route (Thula Thula, Amakhala, Rietvlei, Roggekloof, Buffelsdrift, Entabeni |
| 2015-2019 | Thanda |
| 2016 | Madikwe |
| 2016 | Samara (Roggekloof) |
| 2016-17 | MZNP |
cheetah metapopulation management
In the initial phases of cheetah metapopulation management, Sanbona and Phinda Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal have been the biggest contributors. However, the need to mix genetics and the loss of the two successful cheetah females to old age and drought in 2016, has greatly impacted cheetah breeding on Sanbona. Only two adult cheetah remain on the reserve. It’s hoped that when the rains return to Sanbona, the reserve will again contribute to cheetah populations across southern Africa. Sanbona is the only cheetah metapopulation reserve in the Succulent Karoo biome and is renowned and prized for producing lion savvy and tourist-friendly cheetah. That is an excellent and formidable combination for both cheetah conservation and the enjoyment of guests to this magnificent reserve.
The Cheetah Metapopulation Project is coordinated by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and is supported by a multitude of partners and stakeholders. The principal goals of the project are to maintain the genetic and demographic integrity of cheetahs on these fenced reserves, and to increase the resident range of free-roaming cheetahs across southern Africa.
Photo by Anthea Bothma