NamibRand Boys - update as of 27/Dec

We've had some interesting field reports this week, with the boys successfully hunting a springbok and then attempting to hunt a pair of ostriches (see below).

23/12/2009 - 07:15 all 5 walking (L-K-C-M-R) towards WP, at 07:45 Lindt starts jogging and 1 minute later he starts running towards springboks, the others following, the first 2 males get an adult springbok and pull it down, all 5 feeding on it; 08:45 first 2 males get up, all 5 grooming to clean the face and lye down again

24/12/2009 - 09:40 all 5 lying under Boscia tree, then 3 ostriches walking by and all 5 get up and stare at them, Mushara decides to run for them, all 5 hunt male ostrich which escapes, only Mushara follows the other change to female ostrich, Mushara also joins, they reach female ostrich but are not able to pull it down, so they give up

24/12/2009 - 20:00 Keerweder waterhole; one of the cheetahs apparently intended to scent-mark at the Keerweder guesthouse and showed aggression? (raised hackles) when it observed humans there; instead it scent-marked at the dead tree at the waterhole

Thank you Ann, Mike, and Christine for the log.

Rob

Cheetah and Dog sponsors

We sent all cheetah and dog updates last week. Please contact us if you didn’t receive yours, since several e-mails came back undelivered.

 

With best wishes for the New Year,

 

Patricia

 

Keepers' Notes - Klein

Klein, Merlot’s coalition mate, has been getting most of the attention lately due to his skin issues.  But I think it is important to note how supportive Merlot has been to Klein during this whole ordeal.  For the first time in over a year, I heard Merlot purring while he was licking Klein’s face!  It has always surprised me that although Klein is a good 5kg heavier than Merlot, Merlot is the dominant male, then to hear Merlot of all cats to purr… I was speechless!  Also, during this whole treatment course Klein has been receiving extra treats (with medication hidden ‘cleverley’ inside) and instead of pushing Klein aside to steal the treats for himself, Merlot has stayed in the back, sitting patiently, waiting for his meal.  Even at the end of the day when he has been fed, and Klein needs his afternoon dose of meds, Merlot still accompanies Klein to the fence, sits in the back, and walks away with him once the meds have been administered.  Due to this continual support for his coalition mate, the keepers have been taking extra treats to give to Merlot as well, as a way of thanking Merlot for being such a good friend to Klein.

Hoping everyone is enjoying the Holiday Season, and please remember to make a donation so we can meet our year-end challenge. We only have ten days left!

Kate

NamibRand female WITH A CUB! update as of 23/Dec

Christine and Lars of N/a'an ku sê have had a very good sighting of the female yesterday and have confirmed that she is with a 6-8 month old cub!  

Nils also found the five boys on a fresh oryx kill just over 1 km from her back on Dec. 17th (see map).  Thanks also to Nils, the map now has a great deal more detail, with roads, waterholes and local features added.

She is remaining in the same area close to the mountains, and about 9 km NNE of Park HQ.

Rob

 

 

Cheetah Keeper's Notes

It’s easy to see why Cruise is so well loved with his never-ending range of vocalizations.  I love listening to Cruise and Omdillo converse through the fence line, they sound like big house cats… until they realize a human is listening then it is back to growling and slapping the fence!

Since the other four boys have been running for their food, Cruise has also started his own tradition of ‘trotting’ for his.  He doesn’t quite chase the car the entire length of the pen, but for an old man, he sure does move fairly well.  One of his favourite things to do is run half way down the fence line before making a quick detour over to a tree that he marks while watching the car continue along the other side of the pen.  He has his timing down almost perfectly!  By the time the car has come to its stop, Cruise has already beat us to the gate and continues to mew for his food!  Although, there are the times when his favourite spot to mark is a pole right by the entrance gate, and if you are not careful, ‘The Cruise Man’ could also mark you.

Kate

 

NamibRand Cheetahs - update as of 15/Dec

I'm afraid that with the Christmas break upon us we have no field data for the past week, but the satellite data is pretty comprehensive.  The boys are nowhere near the newly re-arrived female, but instead are remaining close to Park HQ.

 

Rob

 

NamibRand female cheetah - update as of 16/Dec - Great News!

I have very good news regarding our female's latest movements.  At some point between the evening of Dec. 7th and the afternoon of Dec. 10th she crossed back into the NamibRand Reserve and as of this morning is approximately 2 km inside the reserve boundary!

 

It appears that she may have used the same route that the boys once used to exit the reserve.  I have included last week's data alongside this week's so that you can see both halves of the picture.   She originally exited the reserve along the South-East boundary during early April 2009.   I am very happy to see her back and hope she finds conditions to her liking this time and remains there.  

 

Rob

 

First artificial insemination on Anatolian

Just want to let you know that we had the first artificial insemination (AI) with Zor’s sperm last week!

We bred our Anatolian female Uschi to Zor’s sperm using surgical insemination on the 19th and 20th of November. Zor’s sperm was donated by the Rare Breeds Ranch in the US. Everything went smoothly, so we are hoping for the best. We do have a pregnancy test for dogs and should have access to an ultrasound to test for the success of the breeding.

We will keep you posted.

Take care,
Anne – Genetics Lab

NamibRand Cheetahs caught on camera!

A visitor to NamibRand sent us these beautiful pictures of the five boys on
a kill site of a female springbok in NamibRand. Thanks, Aaron!

Happy Holidays to everyone,

Patricia