‘Once the sacred companions of pharaohs creatures on earth exist on the knife edge'
Sue Hart

Introduction
Humans have made astonishing advance in technology and communication in recent years; however we are dangerously close to losing valuable species on our continent due to ignorance and mismanagement.
Predators are part of a complex ecological system, and throughout the world they and their habitat are vulnerable to many pressures, such as growing human population, disease, reduction in prey populations and excessive utilization of their habitat. Predator conservation depends on many factors including the protection, maintenance and enhancement of their home ranges.
The eradication of cheetahs (Acinonyx Jubatus) on many game farms in the Limpopo, North West and Northern Cape Provinces of South Africa is a reality that requires strategy, and a determined effort to find lasting solutions.

Global situation
In pre-colonial times the cheetah was indigenous to nearly all of Africa, Arabia and what is today Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. At present it is restricted to specific areas of Africa and a few small pockets of land in the Asian countries. Unlike the leopard the cheetah cannot exist in mountainous or thickly forested areas, as it needs the expanse of flatland or open plain on which to hunt and run down its prey.

Africa
In Africa they are distributed in the Rift Valley region with main strongholds in Southern African countries, such as South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.

Estimates of cheetah numbers are as follows:
Namibia approximately 2000-3000
South Africa approximately 1000
Zimbabwe approximately 1500
Botswana approximately 1500
Rest of Africa approximately 7000
The estimated global population is 12 000 to 15 000

The South African situation
Given the variable climate in the Limpopo and North West Provinces of South Africa many cattle farmers today are finding game farming more sustainable. Hunting is also a multi-billion rand industry in South Africa. Valuable game losses to predators are a definite economic consideration that landowners face. Hyenas, jackals and leopards do most of the damage while the cheetah is alsoresponsible to a lesser extent. Cheetahs have been the ‘scapecat’ as they are daytime hunters and are seen more regularly. Their numbers have decreased dramatically due to persecution and loss of habitat.
From the early 1960’s the cheetah in South Africa has been regarded as an endangered species.
The De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust believe that it has many of the solutions to secure the future of the cheetah. The project FADING SPOTS — A RACE AGAINST TIME FOR THE CHEETAH IN SOUTH AFRICA aims to deal with every aspect of cheetah conservation.
The mission of the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust is to ensure the long term suivival of predators, specifically the cheetah and wild dog in their natural environment.
To achieve its mission the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust has an extensive community outreach and education programme and a strategic breeding plan. The Trust conducts research on wildlife disease and nutritional and in South Africa it has implemented a national plan for the conservation of free roaming cheetah.
The following 5 solutions will be and are being executed through the FADING SPOTS PROJECT.

SOLUTION ONE
A cheetah census is being conducted so that intelligent and informed decisions are made with regard to cheetah conservation in South Africa.
The census will take place over an area of some 8 000 000 hectares in the Limpopo and North West Provinces in South Africa. De Wildt has set up a working group of experts to manage the project. This group is made up of officials from government, national parks, key research and conservation entities and universities. The research working group consist out of the following key researchers and specialists:
Dr Gus Mills (Research Fellow: SAN Parks and Head: Carnivore Conservation Group, Endangered Wildlife Trust)
Dr Paul Funston (Lecturer: Tswane University of Technology and Researcher: Carnivore Conservation Group, Endangered Wildlife Trust)
Kelly Marnewick (Researcher: De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust)
Deon Cilliers (Project Manager: De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust)
Christiaan Blignaut (Terrestrial Ecologist: Limpopo Conservation Authority)

Presently the Atherstone/Rooibokkraal/Silent Valley area in the Limpopo Province is being used as a detailed survey study area to develop suitable censussing techniques for cheetah. The census of the cheetahs will expand into the rest of Limpopo, North West and Northern Cape Province once the techniques have been found to be accurate and suitable for use on ranchland areas. The image indicates the cheetah distribution area and the study area for the project.

The following techniques are currently being tested in trials in the Atherstone/Rooibokkraal/Silent Valley study area. More detailed scientific descriptions on the specific methods are available in the attached Annexure.
• Questionnaire data:
Cheetahs lend themselves to the questionnaire method because they are easily recognizable and sightings are sufficiently memorable to be reported reliably. The questionnaire method has been found to be the most accurate indirect survey method for large carnivores and has been known to produce estimates of 75 to 100% of the reference densities.
Up to date questionnaire surveys have been done conducted in many farming areas in the Limpopo Province as well as certain areas in the North West Province. The illustration indicates areas the specific areas that have been surveyed with questionnaires up to date.

• Camera trapping techniques
Cheetahs are notoriously difficult to survey because they occur at low population densities and are often shy and elusive. The problem is further complicated outside conservation areas where land is privately owned, access is restricted, the bush is often dense and cheetahs are frequently persecuted. In order to accurately assess the status of the cheetah, it is necessary to obtain data on numbers and demographic trends. Cheetahs are individually identifiable by their unique spot patterns, making them ideal for capture- recapture surveys. This method has never been used to survey cheetahs and it was decided to run trials on the Atherstone Nature Reserve to develop this as a suitable cheetah censussing method. Remotely infrared activated cameras were placed in areas of the reserve where cheetah activity was observed. This resulted in various photographs of cheetahs been taken by the cameras during the study period. The results are promising considering the small sample size and low number of camera traps, and will be improved with more camera traps and a more extensive sampling area using the AthcroncAtherstone Nature Reserve as a core area in the greater 100000 ha study area. Once the method has been developed it will be used in other areas of SA to determine cheetah density as part of a National Cheetah Census been being done by the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust. A further advantage of this method is that it can be adapted to obtain density estimates of any carnivore such as leopard and brown hyena with recognisable markings. The photo is of a cheetah captured on film by one of these cameras.

• Collar and release - aerial counts
Approval for the capturing of cheetah inside of a protected area was obtained from the Provincial Authority. The De Wildt Wild Cheetah project is in possession of valid permits to capture cheetah on private farmlands in Limpopo. Due to ongoing trials in the Atherstone Nature Reserve, it was decided to conduct this method in the reserve as well as on — neighbouring farms. The success of the project is dependant on collaring as many cheetahs in the area to determine home range size, overlapping of home ranges between cheetahs, habitat use as well as prey preference and rate of predation. The study area was covered for evidence of cheetah activity and suitable trap cages were set at hotspots and scent marking places in the Atherstone Nature Reserve as well as on neighbouring farms. Approval for the capturing of cheetah inside of a protected area was obtained from the Provincial Authority. To date three groups of cheetah have been collared since 2003. These comprise of a single male (which was shot afterwards by a neighbor), a coalition of two males and a further coalition of three males. Conventional telemetry collars were used on the cheetahs, but recently the coalition of two was recaptured as the batteries in the collars were running flat, and one of the cheetahs was fitted with a technologically advanced gps/cell collar and the other cheetah was fitted with a new conventional telemetry collar. The gps/cell collar allows the researchers to collect daily data as the collar collects latitude and longitude at pre programmed intervals and downloads to a server via the cellular network. This data is then accessed via the internet. The cheetahs fitted with conventional collars are tracked with a fixed wing aircraft at two weekly intervals and information gathered is mapped. The illustration indicates the home range sizes of the two coalitions which are currently monitored in the Atherstone Study area. It is envisaged that cheetahs in the Ellisras, Alldays, Messina and Gravelotte/Hoedspruit area will be collared with gps/cell collars dependant on availability of funding/sponsorship.

•Estimates via spoor frequency.
Spoor density is a useful indirect method for obtaining an estimate of relative population density of carnivores. This method has also been used for determining densities of lions in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and tigers in India. The method is convenient in that it can be adapted to suit the study environment, it is non-invasive, repeatable and comparable across different study areas. Spoor density counts are normally carried out on some type of line transect. Line transect sampling is one of the abundance estimates referred to as distance sampling. In a line transect, the observer travels a series of predetermined routes and counts any predetermined object e.g. animals, tracks or dung.
The spoor density counts will be done during July/August as the gravel roads are very suitable for this during this period to the structure of the soil. The first trials are planned for 2005.

SOLUTION TWO
The Deployment of field/education workers
2000 members of the farming community met with Founder of the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust, Ann van Dyk to request her help with regard to cheetah on farmlands. Farmers were experiencing game and stock losses and needed a workable solution. What followed was the creation of the National Cheetah Management Forum — where all role-players, viz the farming community, government departments, breeding centers and academic institutions could develop a national strategy.
deployment of field officers in areas in which cheetah occur was the next step. It is critical to reduce the conflict that exists between wildlife and people. A diverse and balanced population of predators and prey is a primary indication all the factors of a healthy ecosystem are working properly. Conservation of cheetah depends on changing the attitudes of farmers and game ranchers. the stock and game losses faced by farmers are a reality that cannot be wished away — short term solutions had to be devised and so a compensation fund whereby farmers are compensated for losses they have experienced through cheetah killing their stock or game. Farmers are encouraged to catch not kill the so called problem cheetah which are then removed and relocated areas in the wild where they can live freely and safely. These cheetah are NOT brought into captive conditions — an only in extreme circumstances where cheetah would be unable to fend for itself due to injury or perhaps if the cub is young are they brought into captivity. 116 cheetahs have been saved in this way. They have been relocated to reserves throughout South Africa. The map illustrates reserves which have received cheetah through the De Wildt Wild Cheetah Project. These reserve now act as a safe bank for cheetahs and are all
of a cheetah meta populatio management plan to ensure genetic diversity.

Farmers who are prepared to cooperate on matters relating to cheetah are provided with gate signs that reflect that they are ‘cheetah friendly’. To date some 500,000ha in the Limpopo, North West and Northern Cape Provinces.

Regular farm workshops are held and many thousands of km are traveled by De Wildt field officers in dealing with the conflict that exists between cheetah and landowners and in the promotion of predator friendly farming practices. During 2004, 370 farmers were addressed at five different farmers workshops in Limpopo. A very successful workshop was held at the Atherstone Nature Reserve and the community was very satisfied with the outcome. Despite these valuable successes the battle is far from over. Unethical trade in cheetah is flourishing. Recently two cubs , aged ten months were caught, we were contacted, compensation paid and the cubs brought into safe holding pending release onto a reserve. These two cubs had a brother and a mother that were subsequently caught — again we were notified and a Field Officer was dispatched to collect the animals but on arrival were informed that the cheetahs had escaped from the capture cage. — an impossibility — they reemerged in another province and now face a very unsure future. This is a tragedy of enormous proportions, while we do not know if they animals will be hunted, or whether they will face the stresses of captivity we do know that they will not be micro chipped, that no blood samples will b-be taken and that — they will therefore not be recorded in a studbook or form part of a national meta population management plan.
Over the last two years approximately 200 cheetahs have either been shot by farmers and thrown into rivers or buried or illegally or unethically traded with. This unethical treatment of an endangered species has to be fought with vigour.

SOLUTION THREE
Reach for the Wild Education Programme
A comprehensive environmental education programme which includes taking cheetah into schools has been developed. Most South Africans have never seen cheetah and are unlikely to have the privilege of visiting one of our game parks. Children — particularly in the areas where cheetah are seen as problems will have a positive encounter with a hand raised cheetah. The conservation of natural ecosystems needs to be promoted at ground level amongst farming and rural communities. The need to protect and conserve particularly endangered species such as cheetah, requires urgent attention as the survival of these animals depends on our ability to protect their natural habitat. De Wildt have a number of hand-raised cheetah and two educational staff who will begin a programme of school visits in 2004. Satellite programs are also planned with organizations in the rural areas of Limpopo. This program has got the full support of the Educational Departments as well as the Conservation Authorities of Limpopo, North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga.

SOLUTION FOUR
Captive cheetah breeding
De Wildt is the only CITES approved breeding facility in the world. Over 600 cheetahs have been bred over the past 32 years and these cheetahs have gone to game parks and zoos in different parts of the world. Extreme care is taken to ensure that these animals go to reputable facilities. It is illegal to export a wild cheetah. It is happening and ruthless traders are exporting wild cheetah — saying that they are captive born.
By providing cheetah for reputable facilities world wide, De Wildt is helping to reduce the pressure on free roaming cheetah.

SOLUTION FIVE
The development of a sustainable business strategy
It would serve little purpose for the cheetah if the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust we to become insolvent. We owe it to the cheetah to develop sound income generating sources and for this reason De Wildt has a business wing. A lodge, a souvenir shop, an adoption scheme and regular tours assist in generating valuable funds for cheetah conservation as well as providing members of the public with a range of alternatives to support the project. Everyone from a school pupil to corporations can assist.

Public profile and publicity
The De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust has been operating for 34 years and has received world wide acclaim for its conservation of in particular cheetah and wild dog. Many wildlife documentaries have been made on the breeding success. The Trust is able to attract wide media attention for its projects as is demonstrated when it launched the National Cheetah Census, The Wild Cheetah Project and recently its Outreach Education Programme in a nearby township. All daily newspapers covered the event, as well as television, radio, many magazines and weekly newspapers.
The cheetah census has not yet been the subject of a documentary and due to the high profile that De Wildt enjoys amongst the media it is likely that significant publicity will be attracted to highlight a partnership between sponsors, supporters and ourselves.

Current Sponsors:
SASOL
SAPPI
THE MAZDA WILDLIFE FUND
THE PROINCE BERNHARD NATURE FUND
KBR
CHRISTINE AND BARRY JANKS
MARSHA AND EMMETT DUEMKE
THE SCOVILLE ZOO
THE MIAMI METRO ZOO
JOHN AND KAY POHLMAN
ALEXANDRE POMEROY
GEORGE PILKO
FULBRIGHT AND JAWORSKY
CHEETAH OUTREACH
CHEETAH CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
TIER ONE ELECTRONICS
THE TORONTO ZOO

‘How little we understand the language of the cheetah, conveying all through the flick of an ear, through a glance, a touch, a movement, no more’ Sue Hart