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UPDATE
ON SIBELLA AND HER CUBS
 Deon
Cilliers found himself travelling through the beautiful Karoo to Samara
Game Reserve where relocated cheetahs have produced many offspring,
contributing to a large proportion of the cheetah meta-population of
South Africa. The purpose of this trip was to collect the previous litter
of star female Sibella. She has proven to be an extraordinary mother
and has produced more than 15 cubs within the past four years. Her last
litter consisted of seven cubs, six of which have survived to the age
of 10 months.
S ibella and her cubs were
found lazing in an open area near the main lodge. She did not even glance
at us and the cubs were busy enjoying each others company. Males Beethoven
and Mozart were resting on a high plateau overlooking Samara and they
had clearly recently enjoyed a huge meal.
The Samara cheetahs have
certainly been a huge success story in terms of South African cheetah
conservation. Their offspring have been used to repopulate National
Parks such as the Mountain Zebra National Park. The females in this
park have certainly proven themselves true descendants of Sibella, producing
four cubs each.
Two males from Sibella’s
previous litter were collected by Deon and will be relocated to Tswalu
Kalahari Reserve as part of the South African Meta-population programme
coordinated by De Wildt.
Should you wish to read more
about Samara’s cheetahs you can visit their website www.samara.co.za
EDUCATION
IN LUSAKA
 From
time to time De Wildt cheetahs are loaned to organisations for educational
purposes. One such organisation is the Munda Wanga Trust just outside
Lusaka in Zambia.
Munda Wanga which means “My
Garden” in Nyanja was founded in 1950 by Ralph Sander, a civil
servant in the then Colonial Government of Northern Rhodesia. It was
originally a botanical garden but grew to encompass a wildlife park
and sanctuary.
Following several years of
neglect at the hands of various government departments, Munda Wanga
was eventually taken over by a private trust in 1998. The trust is now
working hard to re-establish this much loved institution and to create
a modern centre for environmental education and interpretation as well
as for various cultural projects.
Munda Wanga received two
young male cheetahs named Zig and Zag. Sadly Zig died after a few years
but we are pleased to report that Zag has adapted to the loss of his
brother and is now healthy and active.
The De Wildt Cheetah and
Wildlife Trust is very grateful that there are so many facilities that
are willing to promote cheetah conservation. If African children are
passionate about their wildlife, we stand a chance of saving it.
FAREWELL
Alan
 The
De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust says farewell to Alan Strachan.
Alan remains a friend of
us all and we will not easily forget the part that he has played over
the past eighteen years in contributing to the wonderful operation that
we have today.
The following quotes clearly
reflect the love and respect that colleagues have for Alan:
“A friendly Scotsman
with a passion for his cheetahs and of course his pipe and tobacco.”
“Alan was always asking when payday was – he has a language
of his own – not Scottish, not gibberish but he always came up
with the funniest combinations.”
“A really good friend, a grumpy little Irishman, always there
for you”
“You always chose me when you wanted to make a joke but with a
great smile on your face!”
“Alan has a rare talent for making you smile, however bad the
situation, and his cartoons are just wonderful. He will be sorely missed.”
“Alan and I have been through many tough times but his sense of
humour always came to the rescue.”
“Alan always sees the light side to any problem.”
 FAREWELL
Gaby
The De Wildt Cheetah
and Wildlife Trust says farewell to Gaby Bartels as well.
Gaby will be relocating to
New Zealand (where her mom and brothers live) to study. Gaby’s
passion and love of the cheetah will be remembered for a long time.
Gaby is remembered by colleagues
as:
“A very hard working
lady”
“Intense and passionate. I’ve never met anybody who knows
so many lyrics to songs”
“Gaby is always ready for a fight.”
“Gaby has a great future and I wish her all the best. We will
miss her greatly.”
“A tough little cookie with a really kind and soft heart, lots
of bark and very little bite – one who cares deeply but would
never admit to it. A true friend and confidant”
“She approaches everything with such heart and such passion.”
MONSTER
LEOPARD TO BE RELEASED
 The
De Wildt Wild Cheetah Project recently received a huge monster of a
leopard which was captured by a rancher after it decided to feast on
one of his calves. This leopard is and excellent specimen and it is
seldom that tomcats of this size are found in the wild.
The leopard is now fondly
known as Frankenstein. This is due to the fact that his top lip is split
in two above his huge canines – probably due to a previous territorial
fight. This gives him a rather unique “monster” look.
Frankenstein was injured
unfortunately in the capture cage and had to be taken to Dr. Peter Caldwell,
the consulting veterinarian for the De Wildt Cheetah & Wildlife
Trust. Peter had to sedate him in order to deal with the large gash
above his eye. In spite of this Frankenstein almost nailed Peter by
sticking his huge front leg through the holding cage. He is certainly
living up to his name!
The surgery went smoothly
although Peter did break three needles trying to stitch through the
leopard’s tough skin! Frankenstein is now safely in our leopard
holding facility and has recovered sufficiently for release. Due to
the fact that he is definitely the dominant territorial male in the
area of capture, we have been able to convince the rancher that it would
be wise to release him back onto his farm. This is of course on condition
that Frankenstein be fitted with a gsm/gps collar so that he can be
tracked and the rancher can be warned to take protective measures should
Frankenstein show more interest in his cattle. The rancher has also
agreed to obtain an Anatolian livestock guarding dog as a further precaution
against predation.
Anybody interested in sponsoring
such a collar (US$2,500) should contact Vanessa Bezuidenhout at De Wildt
as soon as possible. Frankenstein can and should be released as soon
as possible, especially as he has already started to destroy the wire
mesh of the leopard holding facility! Sponsoring such a collar would
secure this magnificent male’s future in his home territory and
will also assist in research into the habits and range use of territorial
male leopards. The sponsor of the collar will be given access to real-time
tracking of Frankenstein once released, via the web.
 TOSHIBA
AND SAMSUNG COME UP TRUMPS
As always, we are
so grateful to the many corporations that lend their support to the
De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust.
This month we would like
to make particular mention of Toshiba who generously donated a computer
as the runner up prize in the Outreach Education Programme competition
featured in our last newsletter. In this day and age computers are such
an integral part of education and we are certain that both Mrs. Ntshabele
and the children of Bachana School will benefit enormously from this
kind donation.
Samsung have also stepped
up to the plate, providing us with a state of the art cell phone. This
marvellous gift will very likely be featured as a prize in the next
teacher competition.
SNIPPETS
FROM THE DE WILDT CHEETAH LODGE
 Warm
greetings from Elouise and the lodge team.
Autumn is upon us but the
garden and surrounding areas are still lush and green. Kosie the female
rock monitor that walks over the roof at night, has had babies who then
decided to settle in my flat! Thankfully, they have now been relocated
to the chapel area where there is an abundance of shelter, food and
water.
The great news is that the
conference centre is almost ready for use. Petro has worked hard on
a variety of conference packages which can be viewed on our website
www.dewildt.org.za
We are keeping the lodge’s
home fires burning and the pots on the stove in anticipation of your
future visits.
TWO NATURAL
SPEEDSTERS PULL TOGETHER
 We
are happy to announce that another South African sports personality
has joined the De Wildt cause.
Clare Vale is the top female
driver in the Wesbank Super Series which is the premier national circuit
racing series in South Africa. Clare has always had a passion for cars
and all things fast, but she only began racing in mid 2004. Since then
she has proven beyond doubt that women can achieve great things in the
world of motor sport. She won her first race in February 2006 at Killarney
in Cape Town.
Clare has pledged to work
at raising awareness of the cheetah’s plight, and of the De Wildt
Cheetah Research Project. She is already racing with cheetah decals
on her car and on her transporter truck so watch this space!
TURNING
THE TABLES
Rather unusually
this month found the cheetah running for the good of its human guardians.
On 11 March 2008, cheetah ambassadors at the De Wildt Cheetah Centre
showed off their grace and speed in honour of a very different initiative.
One of the Outreach Education
Programme’s latest projects is the pairing of schools from affluent
areas to schools that are severely underprivileged. It is our hope that
this will make learners more aware of the vast socio-economic differences
that exist in our country.
As a pilot project Woodhill
College in Pretoria East has recently been twinned with Bachana Mokoena
Primary School, one of the poorest schools in Garankuwa. Of the 850
learners at Bachana School, approximately 500 children are orphaned.
The school has always undertaken to provide lunch for their learners
– very likely their only meal in the day – but was having
to do so using practically no cooking facilities. Woodhill College took
on this challenge and managed to organise a solution to the problem.
Johannesburg based company
“Wheels” generously donated gas cookers and utensils to
help feed the hungry learners and Angel’s Kitchen was created.
Following the cheetah run at De Wildt, proceedings moved to Bachana
School where the kitchen was officially opened by school principal Sentsho
Rapoo and Ann van Dyk.
Amos Letsoalo and Rita Groenewald,
education officers with the Cheetah Outreach Programme have also approached
Wonderpark Pick’n’Pay who have generously agreed to provide
dry goods for Angel’s Kitchen.
De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife
Trust is proud to be part of this initiative which essentially nourishes
and protects the conservationists of tomorrow. As Ann says “I
can’t go on forever you know. It is up to the new generation to
see to the planet’s well-being now, and with the kind of donors
that are already part of the family, we can look forward to a healthy
future.”
A CONFERENCE
CENTRE FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THE CHEETAH
 We
are delighted to announce that our long awaited De Wildt Cheetah Conference
Centre is almost complete and will be officially launched on 23 April
2008.
Our air-conditioned conference room can seat up to 20 people and comes
with a plasma screen TV, Computer, DVD player and sound system. Flipcharts
and stationery are also provided as part of the conference packages.
Additional features available include break-away rooms, a tour of the
De Wildt Cheetah Centre, a cheetah run or teambuilding with a distinctly
“wildlife” theme.
All this would not have been possible without the support of Tier One
who sponsored the technology and AGA who sponsored the air conditioning
system – our sincere thanks to both corporations.
For more information please
visit our website www.dewildt.org.za
where several conference packages are available. For booking and enquiries
call Louise on (012) 504 1921.
Vanessa’s visit to
Wycombe Abbey School obviously made quite an impact! This beautiful
poem was received via email a few days later:
THE SUN
IS
The sun is a cheetah
Slowly rising
It puts two paws in front
and yawns
It creeps closer
Each pad in front of the other
Its pace quickening
Jogging now
Anger building
I can feel the tension rising
It is sprinting
and it roars
The tension is spread over me
Suddenly it slows
A sigh of relief
Its pads heavy with tiredness
A day’s work well done
Suddenly it collapses
Its heavy eyelids close
But only to open tomorrow
Sarkhara Sharma
Year 7
Wycombe Abbey School for Girls
REPORT
ON VANESSA’S TRIP TO THE UK
My trip started
off with a cocktail function at the home of Sarah and Mark Tomkins,
owners of the Samara Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. Their reserve
has been the location of several very successful cheetah relocations
and they are great supporters of De Wildt. I made a presentation and
good contacts were made. As South Africa is a popular destination with
visitors from the UK, I was also able to market the De Wildt Cheetah
Lodge as a destination.
This was closely followed
by a meeting with Sally Taylor, a researcher from the University of
London. She will be carrying out a study measuring the impact of ambassador
cheetahs visiting South African schools. This will enable us to quantify
the power of the use of ambassadors in the classroom.
Sarah and Mark Tomkins’
daughters attend Wycombe Abbey School. Through their contacts I was
able to make a presentation which was very well received by the pupils.
I am convinced from this event that a school fundraising programme would
be very effective in the UK.
Two days were then spent
with Professor D Cracknell at Chester University. It is here that our
2007 Teacher of the Year – Joshua Mpete - will be spending time
as part of his prize. Teacher Nicky Bolton will also visit Joshua’s
school in Ga Rankuwa as part of their reciprocal programme. It is my
vision that the Outreach Education Programme will become more international
with South African children communicating with other children around
the world. During this time I also visited Chester zoo where I have
developed important links and many ideas for our school tours at De
Wildt.
I was then given the opportunity
to address the SA Business Club in London, where South African business
people meet regularly to network. At this meeting I was able to meet
with publishers who focus on South Africa as a destination as well as
South African issues. We will be featured in the next South Africa Travel
magazine – a high quality publication circulated on airlines and
other travel outlets.
There followed interviews
with various magazines and veterinary journals, a presentation at the
London Zoo, and at the Winding Wheel in Chesterfield. Both presentations
were well received and very well attended.
Ashleigh Dix, a South African
born artist then arranged a charity dinner at the Hitchcock Hotel in
East London. This dinner was very successful and seldom have I been
received with such warmth and enthusiasm.
There followed a talk at
Ludgrove Primary School with an audience of very energetic nine year
old boys. It was very difficult to get them off the subject of Bryan
Habana!
My final weekend in the UK
was spent at the Pollyanna Pickering Art Gallery in Derby, where the
top wildlife artist hosted an open weekend to present artworks inspired
by her visit to South Africa. Again, this was a very successful event.
Many adoptions were received and I was able to market the De Wildt Cheetah
Lodge.
The trip ended with several
presentations to IAMS who have been great supporters of the De Wildt
cause. The audience was made up of veterinary nurses who were extremely
receptive. It is likely that IAMS will be doing a special product donation
incentive in Europe in Europe.
All in all this was an extremely
hectic and exhausting trip but it was also extremely productive. My
sincere thanks to all the people and organisations who generously hosted
me and allowed the De Wildt message to be spread to new ears.
INTERESTING
WEBSITES
We are sure that
you will find the following websites very interesting:
www.africaimagery.com
which includes De Wildt release programme is run by Roger and Pat de
la Harpe who are currently working on a book about African wild dogs.
As they work on this project they will be adding regular news and updates
onto their blog, along with some truly spectacular photography.
www.cmswildlifephotography.com
This site is run by Charl and Mariska Senekal. In addition to a gallery
of beautiful African wildlife photographs it also includes information
on the Hlambanyathi Leopard Relocation Project in association with the
De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust. This particular section follows
the daily lives of two relocated leopards, including photographs and
a regularly updated blog.
FROM THE
ADOPTIONS DESK
Following Vanessa’s
trip to the UK, it has been a very busy time here in adoptions. We sincerely
hope that all our English friends have received their packages safely
and invite you all to email us anytime that you would like an update
on your wild children. Please note that we will be having an open day
on 14 June at 08h30, please let us know if you are interested in visiting
your wild child.
We are also proud to announce
that our wild cheetahs are now also available for special adoptions.
The funds raised by this new incentive will be used to help the Wild
Cheetah Project with the costs of caring for and eventually relocating
and releasing these animals to safe havens all over the country.
These packages
are offered at:
Platinum level (Cost of R1,000/US$140/£75 per year)
Diamond level (Cost of R2,500/US$340/£175 per year)
The normal adoption package will be supplied but parents will also receive
a stunning limited edition print (unframed) by renowned British artist
Pollyanna Pickering.
Finally we would like to offer our new parents a warm cheetah welcome
and as always we acknowledge and thank our parents who have taken the
time to renew their commitment to their wild children.
New Parents
Diamond
Level
In Memory of Phillip John Myson, Cassie Baker, Alexis Alaniz, Clare
Vale, Andy Marshall, Heath Jones, Siobhan Ashton-Cleary, Malcolm Brown
(In Memory of Hazel Brown), Trevor Manning, Cody Bridges x2, Carole
Allen
Platinum Level
Christa Joubert, Suzie Ryzner, Judy & Brian Baggaley, Hannah Napier,
Jeff Shaw, Eric & Judith Swindells, Rona Parker, Martin Watson,
The Wrey Family, Jenny Czernik, Tina Gadiati, Danie & Elize Stroebel
Gold Level
Adrian Williams x2, Pip Vaughan, Roy & Joyce McAdam, The Sexton
Family, Mynhardt & Idalette Maree, Järgen Beyer, Elizabeth
Hides, Ian Scott, Simon Groom, Louise Allcock, Mike & Margaret O’Brian,
Debbie Ashton-Cleary, Lisa Jackson, Pat Wells, Olivia June Humberstone,
Elaine & Mike Dicey, Helen Murray, Hugh Kerr, Inga-Lill Hassel x2,
Liz & Dave Ingram
Silver Level
Sylvia Hobbs, Shawn Chittenden, Maeve Moran, Three Steiners, Sharon,
Roberta & Edana Cassol, Hein Snyman, Marius Kruger, Hannah Thomas,
Claudia, Marinke, Annemarie, Marieke, The Ries Family, Adam Feit, Conor
Moran, Mitch, Josh & Mikala Wilmot, Cecile Boshoff, Tama’s
Köris & Edit Konok, Heather Ashdown, Rafaël van Gils
Renewals
Diamond Level
Ivan Fenyves, Steve & Andrea Auld, Thomas Rütti, Annelize &
Roeland Soontiens, Sandee & Aaron LaPedis
Platinum
Mick Grewar, Thia & Pieter van der Westhuizen, Thomas Rütti
Gold
Angeline Mocké, Jennifer Bisher, Dianne Fuller, Peta Phillips,
Elizabeth Hides
Silver
Karen Roberts & Jason Evans, Raelene Robertson, In Memory of the
late Raymond Wallace, Angie & Alasdair, Simone Kopitzki, Michael
Lentz, Lauren McGinley
Should
you wish to be on our newsletter list please contact us:
Cheetah@dewildt.org.za
We'd love to hear from you!!
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