De Wildt's first Ambassador Cheetah, Byron, was bred and born at De Wildt but received his training at Cheetah Outreach. Following his successful participation in educational programmes at schools in the Western Cape, the young ambassador was deemed ready to move to back home to De Wildt and it was with great excitement that he was welcomed back to the centre in mid 2003.

This gave Byron's handlers just under a year to get to know and to bond with their new ambassador before the official launch of the programme.

The bonding process is an essential component in ambassador training, which is subject to stringent safety protocols and guidelines. Despite having been hand reared, Ambassador Cheetah's are still wild animals, and it is therefore crucial that the animal trusts its handler, and that the handler knows the animal. This is ensured through the strict regimen of continuous structured training, as well as the bond that exists between the ambassador and its handler.

Since the launch, which took place at Kguagelo Middle School in Ga-Rankuwa on 14 June 2004, the De Wildt OEP has grown in leaps and bounds. Having undertaken the rearing and training of future ambassadors themselves, De Wildt now has a complement of six Ambassador Cheetahs. This means that more people can be reached by the programme, which will make a large contribution towards enlightening people as to the plight of wild cheetah, as well as the necessity for intensive conservation efforts.

Needless to say, when Byron, or any of the other ambassadors, strides into a room full of school children, head up, focused and proud, odds are that there is not a single learner who doesn't gasp in amazement. The rapt attention ensured by Byron's presence is evidence on its own of the impact that the programme can have on people. If nothing else, Byron serves as the ultimate attention grabber.