Byron

Chronicles

When he strides into the room, you know you’re in the presence of royalty. Byron emits an aura that is not only awe inspiring and powerful, but that is also beauty immortalised. His attitude speaks volumes and you can almost imagine him saying: “Okay, now that I’ve arrived we can get this party going!” Byron was born at the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust on 30th of May 2002 and shortly thereafter accompanied his brothers to Cheetah Outreach in the Cape.

It was here that Byron underwent the training that would make him into an ambassador for his species. Always a playful character, Byron nonetheless had a unique poise and grace that set him apart from the rest of the spotted clan. Just prior to his first birthday Byron met me, Marilyn Hull, his adoptive mother, handler and friend. At first sight, Byron had already dug his claws into my heart and there was no going back from that point. We spent a week getting to know each other and during this time I got my first glimpse of the conservation potential of the ambassador programme. It broke my clawed heart when the time came to leave and we had to separate Byron from the brothers that he loved so much.

However, not long into the journey home, sitting in the back of a noisy bakkie (pick-up truck) Byron came to me, laid his head in my lap and cemented our relationship. Working with Byron has its ups and downs. He can at times behave like a spoilt brat, whilst at other times his ability and willingness to perform the tasks I ask of him leave me astounded. He is intelligent and quick to learn, and can even discern colour (for some reason Byron has a particular aversion to orange and red). Despite his intelligence, or perhaps because of it, Byron can also be wilfully difficult when asked to do something that he doesn’t want to. This in turn means that there are days when I need a world of patience to get him to behave. His wilfulness is usually short-lived though, and all in all he has a fantastic temperament. Sometimes Byrons’ antics in a specific situation will leave us, his handlers, virtually rolling with laughter. This happened the first time Byron heard himself purr. I had placed a microphone before him so that the audience could hear the sound a cheetah makes when it purrs. Byron, upon hearing himself, sat up aghast, looking for this monstrous creature who had invaded his territory. He nearly fell over backwards.

Whenever I take him to a new location, Byron has a habit of inspecting everything from top to bottom. On sleepovers he claims a bed, checks out the bath and demands a bit of whatever I may be eating, even tomato. He loves a room with a view and his favourite pastime is sitting on a chair, head rested on his paws, gazing through the window at what’s happening outside. Byron also believes that he is the most important cheetah in the world, which I first realised when he went into a week long sulk the first time he saw cubs on the farm. He was firmly convinced that nothing could be cuter than him and was disgusted with the attention that the cubs were receiving. Byron Bush Cat, the nickname I have given him, is loving and cuddly, adorable, nonchalant and obsessed with his own importance. Yet at the same time he is a creature of nature, wildly beautiful, majestic and powerful, and the most amazing creature I have ever had the privilege of working with.

It is these inherent characteristics that make Byron the leader of the De Wildt Cheetah Ambassadors, as well as the perfect candidate to show humanity the value of conserving this magnificent species. I have never once thought it possible, nor wanted, to tame his wildness and turn him into a big cat on a leash. Byron is not a domestic animal, regardless of the fact that he has been trained to be suitable for the purpose of education. He is not a pet, even though he shows affection to me. Byron is a cheetah, a wild cat of Africa, and this is what I love, cherish and respect about him.