A new Kangal puppy arrives

An Anatolian puppy has just arrived from South Africa to augment CCF's breeding programme. CCF periodically imports new males to enhance the Anatolian blood lines in Namibia and maintains a register of all the Anatolians in this country.

A big thanks to Cheetah Outreach in SA for helping to arrange the transport and selection of the puppy. The puppy is getting to know his new herd and as the goats recently kidded, has lots of new friends of the same size. Our herder, Armaas, has named the new puppy Amos.

Cat in a bag

CCF was recently called to a farm south of Otjiwarongo to collect a young cheetah caught that morning. Much to our surprise, when we got there, the cheetah was literally bagged. Being only about four months old, this little guy fit quite comfortably into a "streepsak" (feedbag).

The mom and two cubs had been seen on the road by the farm manager and some workers, and the temptation to try catch them could not be resisted. The farm workers set off in hot pursuit and one of them returned triumphant, carrying the unfortunate cub. Luckily, the farm owner agreed to make the cat’s day by releasing it where it was caught. Mum had been looking for him, as her tracks were in the car tracks left by the vehicle that "abducted" her youngster earlier that morning.

Cheetahs can hear one another calling for a distance of up to three kilometers, so we are confident the group was happily reunited.

Three Musketeers arrive at CCF

CCF was called to collect three eight-month-old cheetahs from a game farm near Karibib, caught after their mother, one sibling and two other adults were shot. All three are doing well, and are now being integrated with another group of youngsters. They are inseparable, and it was a foregone conclusion that they would become named after the Three Musketeers: Athos, Porthos, and D'Artagnan.

Many of the cheetahs we deal with are trapped in game camps. This remains a difficult problem to solve, as the only solution to predator conflict in a game camp area is to keep the predators out, a very costly exercise few farmers are willing to undertake. The result is that any cheetahs getting through the game fence are simply shot - a futile exercise, as they will simply be replaced by others.

Cheetah Country Gala

We held the seventh annual gala dinner and auction, Cheetah Country, A Celebration of Speed and Elegance, in support of the CCF's efforts to ensure the survival of Namibia's cheetahs, at the Windhoek Country Club on 30 July. The evening included a candlelit dinner, silent auction, live music, performances and awards. Hundreds of people attended the dinner which included business, conservation and government representatives. Namibia's Founding President, Dr. Sam Nujoma, gave the welcoming speech in which he spoke about Namibia being the Cheetah Capital of the world and reminded all Namibians of their responsibility to care for the earth. Click here for the full story.