Background

Nobody who has seen a cheetah up close, heard it purr, or had the rare opportunity to touch it will ever forget the experience. This is one of the fundamental precepts upon which the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust's Outreach Education Programme is based.

The programme finds its origins in the Cheetah Outreach Programme, a similar initiative founded in the Western Cape by Annie Beckhelling. Beckhelling's introduction of the concept of the Ambassador Cheetah, a highly trained hand-reared animal used for interactive educational presentations, has met with remarkable success in as far as education and propagating the necessity for conservation. For this reason, as well as the severity of the plight of cheetah in the wild, the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust decided to initiate their own Outreach Education Programme (OEP), with the support of Cheetah Outreach in the Cape.

Ann van Dyk, founder of the De Wildt Cheetah Centre, says, "Hand-raising a cheetah for this purpose was not an easy decision to make, but the cruelty that cheetahs are subjected to due to a lack of understanding convinced me that a Cheetah Ambassador would create awareness about the plight of cheetahs."

Why is the OEP necessary and how does it work?

Recent estimates show that there are less than 1000 cheetahs left in South Africa, many of which exist in protected areas, private reserves, zoos and breeding centres. Due to a continued loss of habitat, poaching, illegal trade and, in many instances, lack of relevant education, very few free-roaming cheetahs remain. In light of this, intensive conservation efforts are required to ensure the continued survival of the species.

The mission of the De Wildt OEP is to create environmental awareness and community development through education and the sense of touch. School presentations, where the Ambassador Cheetah is actually transported to schools throughout Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumulanga, comprise a comprehensive, interactive lecture on the environment, as well as a slide or power point presentation. The highlight of this presentation, which uses the cheetah as a basis, is the opportunity to meet the ambassador.

The programme is in line with the Outcomes Based Education Curriculum and following a visit, teachers are presented with a Natural Science Resource kit. The kit includes posters and lessons for learners and incorporates themes such as water conservation, anti-litter campaigns, creation of vegetable gardens and protection of habitat for all creatures.

Although De Wildt believes that one of the most important ways to ensure the sustainability of our natural heritage is to target the younger generation, who will go on to become the future leaders of South Africa, they have also realised that the youth are not the only ones who can benefit from the OEP. Other education initiatives have therefore also been introduced, some of which include: farmers days, farm worker education, community awareness projects, teachers workshops and the education of international visitors.

Through these added initiatives, as well as close co-operation with existing programmes such as the National Cheetah Management Program and the De Wildt Wild Cheetah Project, it is hoped that the OEP will have a definite impact on not only predator and cheetah conservation, but on general environmental conservation.

Introducing the Cheetah

The cheetah - in a league of its own. Not only is it the fastest land mammal, reaching speeds of over 110 km/h, but Acinonyx jubatus, the cheetah, has numerous other unique characteristics that combine to form an animal that has been both revered and persecuted through the ages. This predator has also confounded and astounded us humans, especially when it comes to where it belongs in the greater scheme of things. For many years there was much debate as to whether the cheetah was part of the feline family, or the canine family.

Foremost amongst the arguments for classifying the cheetah as a dog, was the fact that it does not have the customary protective sheaths which provide for the retractable claws usually associated with felines. It was also argued that the cheetah evidenced other dog-like characteristics such as weak jaws and small canines. Furthermore, what was noted was that unlike normal cats, the cheetahs paw has hard foot pads, which makes it difficult for them to climb or to jump from heights, very un-catlike.

It was only later that it was realised that many of these confounding attributes could be directly linked to its unusual capacity for reaching extreme speeds. The hard paws and the non-retractable claws both serve to aid the cheetah whilst it is travelling at high speeds by improving its traction, grip and manoeuvrability (acceleration, road holding and cornering).

These are not the only specialised design features that contribute to the cheetahs high speed capability. The cheetah is one of the predatorial light weights, with an adult weighing in at between 35 and 60 kilograms. This slim, streamlined physique, along with its enlarged heart, wide nostrils and increased lung capacity all contribute to the cheetahs inherent speed. Another two features that play a large role in the cheetahs speed are its skeletal structure and its tail.

As far as the skeletal structure is concerned, not only are its back legs lower than its shoulders to assist with balance, its spine is also incredibly supple and flexible. This in turn assists the cheetah in extending its stride, to as long as 8 metres per stride, allowing it to cover greater distance in less time.

The tail serves as the steering mechanism and without this long (65cm - 80cm), flat, rudder like addition, the cheetah would be unable to perform the agile turns and changes of direction that are essential in the hunting process.

The cheetah has literally been built for sped, but it does have certain limits. Its maximum achievable speed can only be maintained for short bursts of a few seconds (approximately 300m). Over and above this, the cheetah is incredibly vulnerable following a hunt, regardless of whether or not it was successful. It can take the cheetah up to half an hour to recuperate, and whilst catching its breath, many a cheetahs' hard earned lunch is stolen by some roving scavenger.

A further disadvantage for the cheetah is that the nature of its sprinting hunt requires vast expanses of open land such as savannahs and grasslands. Land is becoming an ever scarcer commodity, and according to The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion by JD Skinner and RHN Smithers, female cheetahs in Namibia have been recorded as having a home range of up to 1 500 km². Although home ranges may overlap, this means that there just isn't enough free space to sustain wild cheetah populations, unless humans learn to share their space.

Aside from the pros, cons and arguments associated with the unique design features of the cheetah, it is at the end of the day a feline. A very specialised one perhaps, but a feline nonetheless.

How we know we're making a difference

Sometimes it's the little things …. The Outreach Education Programme (OEP) is aimed at creating awareness about the need for effective conservation implementation, but whether or not we succeed in this can at times only be determined through feedback from the participants.

De Wildt has received numerous complimentary letters from school children, as well as organisations or clubs that have received a visit from one of the ambassadors. These letters go a long way towards providing the necessary feedback, but there are occasions when the actions of an individual, or a group, show us that the OEP has made a definitive impact.

One such action took the form of a little boy, a pupil at one of the poorest schools that De Wildt has visited. Following a successful presentation, the child in question made his way forward to the education officers. Holding out his clenched fist he promptly handed over a crumpled up R20 note, saying, "This is for Byron." The sincerity of this contribution, coming from a child who most likely lives under dire financial constraints, is a beautiful example of the effect that this type of education can have. It is not only amongst the underprivileged communities that this effect can be noted. Early this year the OEP was presented at one of the more affluent schools of Pretoria. Once again at the end of the presentation the education officers were approached by one of the pupils, a boy who had just celebrated his seventh birthday. Prior to his birthday, he had asked his friends and family to give him money instead of presents. Not such a strange request in this day and age, but what was astounding was the way in which this seven year-old decided to spend his birthday money. Yet again illustrating the impact that the OEP can have on participants, the child donated all of his birthday money, in excess of R2 000, to De Wildt.

Reaching the youth in this manner is exceptionally gratifying and a testament to the effectiveness of the Ambassador Cheetahs. What is even better though is that the ambassadors can have an impact right across the board, amongst rich and poor, young and old. The contribution from a group of elderly residents at Nazareth House, once again highlighted this. Nazareth House is non profit institution and many of the residents have very little or no money of their own. Despite this the residents clubbed together and managed to raise a small donation for De Wildt. This gesture also went a long way towards showing us the value the OEP for everyone.

It's the little things that show us that we are succeeding, at least to some extent.

Partnership with Gauteng Department of Education

Tshwane District South Partnership beneficial for conservation education The Outreach Education Programme recently met with representatives of the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) Tshwane District South, one of whom is Georg Jaquelin, School Enrichment Coordinator. During this meeting District South representatives were introduced to the Ambassador Cheetahs and were furthermore provided with the opportunity to see first hand what the OEP presentations entail.

As a result of this meeting, the De Wildt OEP has been accorded partnership with GDE Tshwane District South, which should prove extremely beneficial in furthering the reach of conservation education. Intentions are to do an OEP presentation at the next Provincial Education Department meeting, which is scheduled to be held during April. Keep an eye out for highlights of this presentation in our next edition.