Wildt Tales, October 2005

We hope you enjoy this October newsletter. Rains are late which farmers say is a good sign but it is dry and the risk of veld fires great.

Mission
“To ensure the long-term survival 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 program and a strategic breeding plan. The Trust conducts research on wildlife disease and nutrition and in South Africa it has implemented a national plan for the conservation of free-roaming cheetah.

Young Cheetah Ambassadors graduate

De Wildt has a volunteer programme which encourages high school pupils to volunteer 40 hrs a year at our centre. These young volunteers fulfil what we call cheetah challenges. Their hours include mainly the removal of alien vegetation, clearing camps of debris and general maintenance tasks. Forty five candidates primarily from Ga-Rankuwa graduated on 15 October. Parents were invited to an open day and met our ambassador animals, went on a short tour and heard from the graduates about their experience. SAPPI donated bird and tree books to each and other fun items from Outdoor Warehouse filled a gift bag. De Wildt’s Education Team worked hard to make this programme a success and the rewards were evident. In the words of one aspiring conservationist “the programme has made a huge difference to my life. It is now up to us to challenge other young people to get involved with saving our precious environment”.

Baby Boom

As part of our solution to the problems facing wild cheetah on farmlands the De Wildt Wild Cheetah Project in consultation with the National Cheetah Management Forum has a relocation programme. During the past two years female cheetahs have been relocated into reserves which previously only had male cheetahs within their perimeter fences. Until now the relocated cheetah population remained stable with a small decline due to cheetahs killed by other predators such as lions. During the past year two of the reserves who received cubs from us produced healthy cubs. This will contribute towards the cheetah metapopulation in SA. During 2004, both Samara Private Game Reserve as well as Amakhala had litters of cheetahs. In 2005 news was received from Shamwari that the female we relocated there also produced cubs and that the cubs actually survived attacks from the lions. Recently excited calls were received from Makulu Makete and Hlambanyati Game Reserves as they thought they too might have cubs. Both the females on these reserves were acting strangely to the researchers and in most cases preferring to stay out of view. Their ranges decreased drastically and they were always found in one spot, although no cheetah cubs could be seen in the thick bush. Both females also showed clear signs of suckling as their nipples were swollen and pink. We are all anxiously awaiting visual confirmation of the new arrivals.

Monkey Business

The camera traps are out for the capture-recapture survey. They traps are placed in sites of known cheetah activity over an area of 100 000 ha. The traps consist of an infra-red sender and a receiver which are electronically linked to two cameras. When the beam is broken by an animal moving through it, the cameras are activated and a picture is taken. All cheetahs have unique spot patterns meaning that individual cheetahs can be recognised from the photographs. This method was identified at the Global Cheetah Census Workshop in the Serengeti as a good method for estimating cheetah numbers.

If you would like to sponsor a camera please contact us. The cost is R2 500.00 or $378.00

Chillie, Benedict and Clint Eastwood - the good ... the bad ... the ugly??!!

The marking tree on the farm Mabulskop in the Lephalale area of the Limpopo Province is known by the wild cheetah team to be a very active tree for cheetah activity. During the past five years 10 cheetahs were captured by the farmer and relocated through the De Wildt Wild Cheetah Project onto nature reserves in South Africa. During 2004 the farmer was convinced by the De Wildt Wild Cheetah Project team to allow them to conduct a population survey and range use project on his farm using the marking tree as camera trapping and capture, collar and release site. In August 2004 our first cheetah (Mabulskop) was captured, collared and released at this marking tree.

If you would like to sponsor a collar for a wild cheetah or wild dog please write to Vanessa Bouwer – the cost is R20 000.00 or ±$3 030.

Cameratraps were set up at the tree and various pictures of cheetahs were obtained. During September 2005 the trap cages were reset and within a short time our second cheetah was captured. Kelly and Freek had the honour of collaring this cheetah and this proved to be quite an experience for these two as the drugs used on the cheetah were not working properly. The cheetah woke up during the collaring and Kelly and Freek had to grab tail and head to prevent it running away !!!! Eventually the cheetah was collared and released. Visitors on Mabulskop named the cheetah “Chillie”.

Two weeks later we saw another cheetah captured in the trap cage and this cheetah was also collared. A journalist of CNN was visiting the farm and she just returned from covering the new Pope’s inauguration ceremony. She thus named the cheetah “Benedict” after the new Pope. To our surprise another cheetah was captured a week later in the trap cage. At this stage the owner of the farm was becoming a bit worried as he thought that this proved that there was a high cheetah population on his farm. He insisted that we remove this cheetah and relocate it on another reserve as part of our Relocation Program. During routine DNA sampling and vaccinations it was found that this cheetah has a huge hard bony growth on his left shoulder. Our veterinarian, Dr Peter Caldwell x-rayed him and to our surprise we found remnants of a bullet stuck in his shoulder. He had previously been shot by someone, but miraculously survived the injury to his shoulder. He was in very good condition and was clearly hunting successfully, what a cowboy !!! He was thus named after an actor who played various cowboy roles and survived being shot quite a few times, namely - “Clint Eastwood”.

Shashe - Limpopo Predator Research Group

A meeting of the SLPRG was held on Sentinal Ranch in Zimbabwe from 11-13 September. This research group focuses on predators that occur in the area of the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers – the areas where Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana meet. The group discussed priorities for predator conservation and research in the area – especially with reference to the different types of land use in the different countries. This is the only transboundary predator project of its kind. The group managed to take some time off to explore the area and its rich diversity of not only wildlife but fossils too!

Cheetahs Rule

Rugby is a very popular sport in South Africa. Some provincial teams are named after animals. There are the Sharks, Cats, Bulls and Cheetahs. The provincial final was played in October in Pretoria between the Blue Bulls and the Free State Cheetahs. Our ambassador Byron had a pre match ‘meeting’ with the Cheetah team. It was also an opportunity for the Educational team to highlight the plight of cheetahs in South Africa. Well done to the Cheetahs for winning the game by four nail biting points.

Wild Cheetah Researcher wins award

The South African Wildlife Management Association symposium was hosted by the University of Limpopo at the Magoebaskloof Hotel from 2-4 October. The theme of the symposium was ‘Wildlife management: a conservation or economic incentive’ and Kelly gave a presentation entitled ‘Cheetah research outside conservation areas: a conservation and economic incentive’. A total of 34 papers and 18 posters were presented. Kelly won the prize for the best presentation and was awarded with any two week course at the South Africa Wildlife College valued between R10 000 and R15 000. The prize was sponsored by WWF and they have also invited her to present her paper to them in Stellenbosch.

Emily, the African Wildcat

De Wildt’s large animal family has a new addition, an African Wildcat named Emily. This little wildcat was found abandoned by a farmer’s wife. Once she started hunting and bringing in birds and mice she wasn’t very popular. This is the same story that plays itself out every day all over the world. Wild cats are cute when they are little, once bigger they lose their attraction and are then often not suitable for release. As far as possible people should leave wild animals in the wild. Emily will of course have a good home and will be well cared for.

The Cheetah and the Husky – Bateleurs lend a helping wing

It is a well known fact that seldom do cats and dogs in the wild share the same place in any form of harmony. In February of 2005, the microlight used by the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust to perform Arial tracking in the Wild Cheetah Management Program became involved in an altercation with the weather god and took the path of least resistance and mangled itself with the ground via the odd Marula Tree. Both the Pilot Deon Cilliers and observer Kelly Marnewick were fortunate to survive to continue their important tasks in the world of Cheetah Conservation. The cheetah that are monitored at free roaming and wander over some 700 square kilometres of veldt, thus making tracking a formidable and time consuming task. A request for assistance was put out to the eyes of the sky and the Bateleurs responded that they would send out their tracking dog to assist in locating the 6 cheetah that were enjoying their freedom. On Saturday 10 September, Avroy Schlain coaxed his Husky into the sky and with Deon Cilliers and his hand held tracking equipment on board they scoured the region from Mabulskop to Dwaalboom and onto Atherstone and completed a successful mission. It is through the assistance of the Bateleurs that conservation and in this particular case, cheetah conservation, is able to rise above the horizon and make a meaningful difference to this planet. Not only were the animals located, but prior to the flight the local farming folk were told of the mission and hence the low flying aircraft yet again drew attention to the fact that the De Wildt Wild Cheetah Management Program was alive and well and doing its utmost to attend to and acknowledge the problems that the farmers face with the interaction of their wild livestock and predators as well as keeping tabs on the movement of these free-roaming predators which are an important link in the ecology of the area. The De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust would like to thank the Bateleurs, Nora and Avroy in particular for this successful mission and for always being there when we need you….. You are all truly the wind beneath our wings.

African Safari with a difference

African Vet Safaris give clients a rare and unique hands-on opportunity to become involved in conservation, while having a once in a lifetime experience not normally commercially available. De Wildt works in association with African Vet Safaris to offer a unique cheetah safari, where visitors have the opportunity of visiting De Wildt, staying at our Lodge, meeting our ambassadors, witnessing a cheetah run and then tracking wild cheetah on a reserve. If you would like more information on these safaris visit www.brotherssafaris.com

Adoptions

Welcome to all the new adoptive parents – whose names are listed below. Your support is vital and ensures top notch care for our animals. We are planning to have open days for adoptive parents living close to the Centre in February next year. It would be great if you could let us know if you would be interested in attending these days.
Diamond Level
Viki Pippin, JJ Pippin, Tristan Pippin, Butch & Don Snyder, Claire Dawn Williams, Steve & Andrea Auld, The Pugin Family, Brandon & Palmira Russel, Gail & Enslin Schalekamp, Irene Bourke, Jane & Karel Maton
Platinum Level
Bob & Lyn Standen
Gold Level
Rasheed Shamma, Emily Baker, Ana Baker, Alice Marble, Sue Smart
Silver Level
Tomkinson Family, Nicola & Alessandro, Ben da Silva, Seb da Silva
Renewals
Diamond Level
Leon Steenkamp, Erik Lear
Platinum Level
Jane & Mark Williams
Gold Level
Org & Linda Meyer
Bronze Level
Stephanie Germain

Help a wild Cheetah

If you would like to sponsor a collar for a wild cheetah or wild dog please write to Vanessa Bouwer – the cost is R20 000.00 or ±$3 030.

Should you wish to be on our newsletter list please contact us:
Cheetah@dewildt.co.za
We'd love to hear from you!!