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Friday, 24 August 2007
New Cub at CCF - From Laurie Marker
We have a new cheetah cub at CCF. Our new little guy (no name yet – working name is Little C) is doing well and has many adoring fans. I was away again for several days and he seemed to really miss me. I arrived home now 2 days ago and have gotten him playing and he is exploring his outside area. The other cats are now all settled in their new enclosure and like all the space. The clinic is bustling again, as we have started our annual reproductive study. Its quite exciting, one of the females produced 33 eggs – the highest take so far!
Monday, 13 August 2007
Cheetahs, Game Count and Gala!
We are just catching our breath after CCF's Celebration of Speed and Elegance Gala and are all going full speed again - we have cheetah workups happening and our annual Full-Moon Waterhole count. So, on we go.
All the cheetahs are doing well - the Hogwart's trio are doing great - they now run in the Girls' area and we are just finishing up a new 26-acrea area. We will be moving our 2007 orphans, 12, into this area - too many cheetahs! And, Kanini is doing great.
All the cheetahs are doing well - the Hogwart's trio are doing great - they now run in the Girls' area and we are just finishing up a new 26-acrea area. We will be moving our 2007 orphans, 12, into this area - too many cheetahs! And, Kanini is doing great.
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
Cheetas, students, census, etc.
We have been really busy during the last part of June! We went with MET (the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism) to confiscate 9 cheetahs – we were able to release 8 of them back into the wild and the farmer got a small fine – but MET has their eyes on him. Besides that – all our students are working on various projects and much progress is being made in a variety of areas of research. Our camera traps are set out and Matti and Fabiano are busy with spoor tracking and checking cameras daily – we are preparing for our yearly conservancy waterhole count and will also conduct strip counts. Ah, the cheetah keeps us busy.
With cheetah purrs to all,
Laurie
With cheetah purrs to all,
Laurie
Saturday, 9 June 2007
Update from Laurie
We have been very busy here – we have 45 cheetahs at CCF currently – we are building a new cheetah enclosure near the Education Centre where we will be able to run our educational cheetahs better – we have nine cheetahs that are our running cheetahs for the public and this new area will allow them all to have more room. We will also be starting our cheetah census again in the next week – this will be using camera traps – we are finishing up the data analysis from our last year's census – which was done in the rainy season – so doing this census in the dry season will be very interesting.
We are preparing our next eLetter, which will be full of news about my past tours to the U.S. and Europe, as well as many news from Namibia. We hope you will enjoy it!
We are preparing our next eLetter, which will be full of news about my past tours to the U.S. and Europe, as well as many news from Namibia. We hope you will enjoy it!
Monday, 7 May 2007
Luna - April 2007
Greetings from Namibia! Quite a lot has happened since your last update:
In mid-February, Luna, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Luna weighed in at 39.5 kilograms (86.9 pounds), down almost 2 kilograms from when she was last weighed in July.
Luna still occupies the area near the lockdown pens, which was the area that was the first introduction to Bellebeno for her and her three coalition mates. However, Luna seems to be the only one of the four using that area, as the others have settled in other areas of the 64 hectare enclosure. At two and a half years old, Luna is at the age when she would separate from her siblings to start having cubs. That instinct to be alone might be the reason that Luna has chosen to be on her own.
Although she is submissive towards people, she seems to have established a dominant role in the big enclosure. During feeding times, she slaps the other cheetahs away if they get too close
Thank you again for sponsoring Luna and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
In mid-February, Luna, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Luna weighed in at 39.5 kilograms (86.9 pounds), down almost 2 kilograms from when she was last weighed in July.
Luna still occupies the area near the lockdown pens, which was the area that was the first introduction to Bellebeno for her and her three coalition mates. However, Luna seems to be the only one of the four using that area, as the others have settled in other areas of the 64 hectare enclosure. At two and a half years old, Luna is at the age when she would separate from her siblings to start having cubs. That instinct to be alone might be the reason that Luna has chosen to be on her own.
Although she is submissive towards people, she seems to have established a dominant role in the big enclosure. During feeding times, she slaps the other cheetahs away if they get too close
Thank you again for sponsoring Luna and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
Tempesta - April 2007
Greetings from Namibia! Quite a lot has happened since your last update:
In mid-February, Tempesta, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Tempesta weighed in at 37 kilograms (81.4 pounds), down 1 kilogram from when she was last weighed in July.
In the weeks before the exams, CCF staff noticed that the hair was missing from the neck behind her right ear. There was a hole in the middle of the bald spot, with some scarring around the hole. Since it didn’t seem to affect her health at all, we decided to leave it until the exams and work her up first. When we got her on the table, we could see that the hole was probably caused by a thorn of some sort. The veterinarian cleaned the wound, although by that point, it had pretty much cleared up on its own. When a gastric biopsy, or endoscopy, is performed, we always inject antibiotics as a standard procedure, so a further dose was not necessary. Other than a bald spot that will soon disappear, she has had no effects from that injury. Cats in general are pretty immune to infections and Tempesta demonstrated that very well.
She is back in Bellebeno, spending more of her time with Samantha. This is expected, since they came to CCF at around the same time, with Cleo and Luna joining them later. They are both three and a half years old, born in July of 2003. Tempesta is starting to get bold and assertive, fending off the older and more dominant Nina and Solo to get a spot near the gate during feeding time.
Thank you again for sponsoring Tempesta and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
In mid-February, Tempesta, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Tempesta weighed in at 37 kilograms (81.4 pounds), down 1 kilogram from when she was last weighed in July.
In the weeks before the exams, CCF staff noticed that the hair was missing from the neck behind her right ear. There was a hole in the middle of the bald spot, with some scarring around the hole. Since it didn’t seem to affect her health at all, we decided to leave it until the exams and work her up first. When we got her on the table, we could see that the hole was probably caused by a thorn of some sort. The veterinarian cleaned the wound, although by that point, it had pretty much cleared up on its own. When a gastric biopsy, or endoscopy, is performed, we always inject antibiotics as a standard procedure, so a further dose was not necessary. Other than a bald spot that will soon disappear, she has had no effects from that injury. Cats in general are pretty immune to infections and Tempesta demonstrated that very well.
She is back in Bellebeno, spending more of her time with Samantha. This is expected, since they came to CCF at around the same time, with Cleo and Luna joining them later. They are both three and a half years old, born in July of 2003. Tempesta is starting to get bold and assertive, fending off the older and more dominant Nina and Solo to get a spot near the gate during feeding time.
Thank you again for sponsoring Tempesta and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
Cleo - April 2007
Greetings from Namibia! Quite a lot has happened since your last update:
In mid-February, Cleo, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Cleo weighed in at 37 kilograms, down 2 kilograms from when she was last weighed in July.
In addition to the annual physical exam and in conjunction with our ongoing research collaborations, Cleo was also chosen to be part of a study assessing renal disease in captive cheetahs. Renal disease is considered to be the leading cause of death in captive cheetahs. In a study of 29 zoos in the USA, renal disease was found in 82% of cats; in South Africa, the prevalence rate is 80%. There were three age groups: young, middle, and old; Cleo, at almost 3 years old, was in the young group.
She is still in the 64 hectare enclosure at Bellebeno and has become more independent. She shows up alone at mealtimes, without her coalition mates Luna, Samantha, and Tempesta. She is very food oriented and always makes a mad rush for the first piece of food thrown. She is usually successful, but on the rare occasion she isn’t, she will chase and even grab it right out of the mouth of whoever grabbed it first. This is a throwback to her antics when she was in a smaller enclosure with her three coalition mates. You can be sure Cleo would never miss a meal.
Thank you again for sponsoring Cleo and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
In mid-February, Cleo, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Cleo weighed in at 37 kilograms, down 2 kilograms from when she was last weighed in July.
In addition to the annual physical exam and in conjunction with our ongoing research collaborations, Cleo was also chosen to be part of a study assessing renal disease in captive cheetahs. Renal disease is considered to be the leading cause of death in captive cheetahs. In a study of 29 zoos in the USA, renal disease was found in 82% of cats; in South Africa, the prevalence rate is 80%. There were three age groups: young, middle, and old; Cleo, at almost 3 years old, was in the young group.
She is still in the 64 hectare enclosure at Bellebeno and has become more independent. She shows up alone at mealtimes, without her coalition mates Luna, Samantha, and Tempesta. She is very food oriented and always makes a mad rush for the first piece of food thrown. She is usually successful, but on the rare occasion she isn’t, she will chase and even grab it right out of the mouth of whoever grabbed it first. This is a throwback to her antics when she was in a smaller enclosure with her three coalition mates. You can be sure Cleo would never miss a meal.
Thank you again for sponsoring Cleo and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
Hershey - April 2007
Greetings from Namibia! Quite a lot has happened since your last update:
In mid-February, Hershey, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Hershey weighed in at 36 kilograms (79.2 pounds), the same as last year.
Hershey is the shyest of the three ‘Chocolates Girls’. However shy she may be, she proved to be a good hunter. She came to the car one day with a guinea fowl in her mouth, a fresh kill but she hadn’t started eating it. Once she saw us, she seemed to say “I have something, but I like what you have better,” dropped the guinea fowl and started running after the car. Her round teddy bear face has proclaimed some to pronounce her the cutest one of the Chocolate sisters.
Thank you again for sponsoring Hershey and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
In mid-February, Hershey, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Hershey weighed in at 36 kilograms (79.2 pounds), the same as last year.
Hershey is the shyest of the three ‘Chocolates Girls’. However shy she may be, she proved to be a good hunter. She came to the car one day with a guinea fowl in her mouth, a fresh kill but she hadn’t started eating it. Once she saw us, she seemed to say “I have something, but I like what you have better,” dropped the guinea fowl and started running after the car. Her round teddy bear face has proclaimed some to pronounce her the cutest one of the Chocolate sisters.
Thank you again for sponsoring Hershey and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
Toblerone - April 2007
Greetings from Namibia! Quite a lot has happened since your last update:
In mid-February, Toblerone, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Toblerone still weighs 38 kilograms (83.6 pounds), the same as last year.
Toblerone is the bravest of the three sisters, and first with everything, from showing up to the bakkie to grabbing her meat. Her bond with her sisters is very strong, as was evidenced this year after her exam. We had to pull a tooth and she was put onto antibiotics twice a day for five days. Since it is difficult to feed twice a day (the cats don’t come to the car if they’ve already eaten earlier that day), we put her into a holding pen adjacent to the 64 hectare enclosure. When we came in the evenings to give her meds, we could hear her calling for her sisters the whole time, a high pitched chirping alternating with a meowing. After her course of medicine was done, she was definitely glad to get out and be with her sisters again.
Thank you again for sponsoring Toblerone and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
In mid-February, Toblerone, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Toblerone still weighs 38 kilograms (83.6 pounds), the same as last year.
Toblerone is the bravest of the three sisters, and first with everything, from showing up to the bakkie to grabbing her meat. Her bond with her sisters is very strong, as was evidenced this year after her exam. We had to pull a tooth and she was put onto antibiotics twice a day for five days. Since it is difficult to feed twice a day (the cats don’t come to the car if they’ve already eaten earlier that day), we put her into a holding pen adjacent to the 64 hectare enclosure. When we came in the evenings to give her meds, we could hear her calling for her sisters the whole time, a high pitched chirping alternating with a meowing. After her course of medicine was done, she was definitely glad to get out and be with her sisters again.
Thank you again for sponsoring Toblerone and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
Nestle - April 2007
Greetings from Namibia! Quite a lot has happened since your last update:
In mid-February, Nestlé, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Nestlé weighed in at 35 kilograms (77.5 pounds), the same as last year.
In addition to the annual physical exam and in conjunction with our ongoing research collaborations, Nestle was also chosen to be part of a study assessing renal disease in captive cheetahs. Renal disease is considered to be the leading cause of death in captive cheetahs. In a study of 29 zoos in the USA, renal disease was found in 82% of cats; in South Africa, the prevalence rate is 80%. There were three age groups: young, middle, and old; Nestle at 4 ½ years old, was in the middle age group.
Nestlé and her two sisters are always found together and are very distinctive in their appearance; beautiful cats with fluffy round faces. She is always standing next to Toblerone, and although not the bravest, she is always ready to help her sister when needed.
Thank you again for sponsoring Nestlé and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
In mid-February, Nestlé, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Nestlé weighed in at 35 kilograms (77.5 pounds), the same as last year.
In addition to the annual physical exam and in conjunction with our ongoing research collaborations, Nestle was also chosen to be part of a study assessing renal disease in captive cheetahs. Renal disease is considered to be the leading cause of death in captive cheetahs. In a study of 29 zoos in the USA, renal disease was found in 82% of cats; in South Africa, the prevalence rate is 80%. There were three age groups: young, middle, and old; Nestle at 4 ½ years old, was in the middle age group.
Nestlé and her two sisters are always found together and are very distinctive in their appearance; beautiful cats with fluffy round faces. She is always standing next to Toblerone, and although not the bravest, she is always ready to help her sister when needed.
Thank you again for sponsoring Nestlé and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.
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