Update from NamibRand - update as of 25/Nov

Hi all, and Happy Thanksgiving to our US followers!

Data on the five males at NamibRand has been a little sparse of late, but it's certainly enough to see that they are remaining in the same area. Every few days they range out, probably to hunt, although we have no confirmed kills since the giraffe on the 4th.  Early yesterday morning they revisited the guest house and scent-marked the wall while carefully avoiding the security light and it's motion sensor.  

The female, in the meantime, is currently about 7.5km from the reserve boundary in the same area as the last few weeks.  She is currently moving south, but that may be just a brief foray.  She has twice been within 2 km of the C19, but is not straying far.

Rob

Cheetah Water in Swedenn from Borås Djurpark

Here is a great example of how zoos around the world are getting creative to support conservation. Borås Djurpark in Sweden is selling “Cheetah Water”, which in addition to income from cooperation with the local Lions Club and a CCF ‘money box’, have just raised over EUR$5,000 for CCF.

These images are from Borås’ booth in Gothenburg which is the the biggest Tourist exhibition in Scandinavia.

We at CCF are so grateful to all the zoos that have supported our work throughout the years.

Patricia

Happy Thanksgiving

HI all –

I hope that you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving. We just got our international course participants to CCF today after spending 2 days in Windhoek – they are a really great group and think that the course will be good.

All the best and have a great DAY tomorrow. I’m going to try to make a Namibian rendition of Thanksgiving!

Laurie

News from Namibia: a cheetah release, courses, etc.

We just released the female that came in the week I got home a couple of
weeks ago.  She had two cubs about a year old.  She had a broken rear toe
and a broken canine tooth.  We had her toe amputated and took her to the
dentist.  She looked great when we released her. She and the cubs put on
weight and we feel really good about her freedom.  It's calving time for the
wildlife, so there are hartebeest an oryx calves everywhere, so there is
plenty of game for them.  Sjaak from Beeske Bergen was here and his wife
Christine with a film crew, so they got to film it. Also there was a German
film crew here and filmed it too. 

We worked on Klein on Tuesday as well – he has what we think is a fungal
growth on his left front and rear legs.  So, we took scraping and biopsy and
won't know for ~ 2 weeks, as it takes that long to run the culture.

We did do an A-I on Uschi yesterday and again today.  It's a surgical
technique where you put the thawed sperm into the horns of the uterus. 

I head down today to begin our international course – there will be ~20
professional conservation biologists coming from 8 cheetah range countries. 
So, we have been very busy on all that.

I will be very hectic with this course going forward.  I know that there is
a lot still to do to reach our year end goal,

Thanks!!!!

Laurie

NamibRand female cheetah - update as of 18/11

Just a quick update on the wild female at NamibRand.  She seems to be settling down into her new area, with no further westward movement.  The area she is in is fairly flat, although there are mountainous ridges to her immediate south, and the substantial park boundary to the east.

 

All the cheetahs are doing well, only we have not received many reports other than their location. We will post as soon as we get something more.

 

Patricia

Back in Namibia! From Laurie

Have been home from my US travels a bit over a week now. I really loved seeing everyone in the US! It’s been really busy here since being home, always busy when I’m around. After being a way for nearly 2 months there is a lot to catch up on here in Namibia. Bruce was glad to see me as were Chewbaaka and the three cubs, Soraya, Phoenix and Quasar. The 4 orphan cubs that came in July (photo) have grown a lot and have settled into their orphan life OK. They get regular attention and care, however it still makes me so sad when I see them, but I am glad that we were able to save them after their mother was reported dead.

Anne our geneticist and Leigh my assistant have helped keep all in order while I was away and have filled me in on all research and admin. activities. In addition to our planning our next international Conservation Biology course which will be conducted for a month from the 22nd of Nov.

I have been unpacking, finally got most done, and then trying to catch up on thank you letters to people who helped make my trip a success, those who planned fundraising events and those who came to the events, so a lot of time on the computer.

We had 3 cheetahs come in a few days ago (Gail and Kate went to pick them up), so we spent the past 3 days doing workups (photo). It was an older female with 2 year old cubs (a male and female). The female had a broken rear toe which we had to amputate, our vet friend, Minty, was visiting from Windhoek and did this operation yesterday morning. This female will need to go to the dentist we hope later this week. The cubs look good.

All other animals look OK. Finn and Isha, my dogs, are happy to have me home. Finn has been working daily on scat training.

At least one of our dogs in the goat yard is coming into heat so we are planning for an A-I to be conducted in the next week. The milk goats are still giving good milk and the cheese is still really good. Amy and Johannes have helped keep the goats and goat yard in good condition, they dipped all the goats and sheep this week - a big mornings job. The horse dentist will come next week to work on the horses teeth, she waited until I was back home.

We continue to be busy in our education center. There have been school groups here constantly and more coming during this next month. Gebs stays really busy with the students, while Gabriel, Priscilla, Stephen and James take care of tour groups

We have another group of EarthWatchers coming today. Matti and Lily, a master's student from Holland will be very busy in the next couple weeks collecting data for Lily's project - they will be surveying the habitat around the play trees where we set our camera traps.

Donna Coe a CCF trustee from Oregon is here again, she was here last year when Phoenix, Quasar and Soraya were tiny cubs. She has been helping me on the computer in between helping feed cheetahs and collecting scat! And Karin, a Trustee from Beekse Bergen Safaripark in Holland is also here as volunteer, along with several students who have been here while I was away including Jordon from U. of Washington in Seattle, who is working on getting our fecal hormone lab up and running. Our 1st assays look really good. Brianna is here as a Global Graduate, she has been helpful to Cheri, our vet tech in the clinic, with all these work ups last week.

Glenn and Natalie arrived this weekend from New Zealand. Glenn will be our new Operations Director.

Laurie