Meet Lucky!

We would like you to meet Lucky! This sweet well-maintained boy was a working dog on a resettled farm where he loved watching over his goats and sheep. Unfortunately, when his herder, livestock, and him were crossing a road, he was hit by a truck. This was not due to negligence of the herder but was just an accident, and thankfully the herder got him to the veterinarian as soon as possible. He sustained quite a few severe injuries and was taken to a veterinarian clinic in Otjwarongo and then transferred to a clinic in Windhoek. In Windhoek he had to receive surgery to have his femoral head removed on his left side. Both his front and back right legs were broken in the accident, so those were splinted as well.

Despite these injuries, Lucky has been a real trooper and has been walking better than we expected. He is very patient with all his bandage changes, which must be changed daily. The clinic team and numerous volunteers/interns are always happy to give Lucky a short walk to help him gain some muscle strength back in his legs and so he can relieve himself. You can normally find him out in the office relaxing on his mattress pad with volunteers, staff, and interns working close by. He has been receiving a lot of tender love and care while he recovers and due to his young age (7-8 months) he is very resilient.

Lucky’s recovery will take many months, but here at CCF we have high hopes for him, and will of course keep you updated on his progress. If you would like to support Lucky and help him receive the care he needs, please consider donating to CCF to help cover the costs of his recovery.

Intern Story - Mariska Bijsterbosch

Hi, my name is Mariska Bijsterbosch. at the beginning of September I came to the Cheetah Conservation Fund to do an internship as part of my study Wildlife Management, which I study in the Netherlands. It seemed quite scary at the beginning, so far and long from home, but I quickly felt really welcome and at home.

Since I have been here I have done so many different activities, too much to mention them all. I took care of cheetahs, dogs, horses and goats, did administrative tasks and went out to count game. I even made cheese and soap, something that I never would have expected! I also had a special project, which was a hair analysis project. In cheetah scat you can find hair, and when you examine these hairs under the microscope, you can find out what species the cheetah has been eating. Most hairs from different species have a unique pattern. However it is sometimes very difficult to distinguish this pattern, and here is where my project came in. Instead of the hair pattern, I looked at cross sections of the hairs, and tried to find out if this is an easier way of determining species. It turned out that for some species cross sections are indeed a better method to use.

                                          

The highlight of my stay at CCF was the capture and release of cheetahs into the wild. During my time here five cheetahs were released, which is the reason why CCF exists, to keep cheetahs in the wild! I also helped with tracking the cheetahs, who wore GPS/VHF collars. In the field, we start with the GPS point and from there you try to track them with radio telemetry. Sadly we did not find one that day, but nevertheless it was a great experience!

                                          

My internship is almost over and after these five months it will be very strange to go back to the ‘normal’ life. I have learned many things at CCF, and made many new friends. One thing is for sure, although my time is almost running out here, I will come back!

Minja, Emma, and Jacominja Release: Part 1

Jacominja

When the Leopard Pen Gate opened on Monday 23rd December, Minja, Jacominja and Emma were about to face life on their own, in the wild. Each of them had been fitted with a GPS tracking collar which regularly takes a new GPS location and transmits the new data back to us early each day. Each collar also has a VHF transmitter allowing us to track and find them on foot too. There was a huge amount of work that went on in the build up to this event and there is still much more to do. This is their story so far, and we will continue to keep you posted with their progress in the future.


Minja:

Minja left the pen at the first available opportunity using the nearby road to explore the area and unfortunately we didn’t receive an update from her collar until the 27 December 2013. On the 29 December we spent the entire day looking for her and still had no good sightings. From the data sent to us from the GPS collar, we learned that on 30 December she moved from CCF land onto a neighbouring farm briefly and then back onto CCF land. We finally got the first proper sighting of her on 4 January 2014 on CCF land. On 5 January we found her again and fed her a large meal because we hadn’t yet had any confirmation that she had made a kill, however she did not look thin! Overall Minja seems to be doing well and is definitely independent, but we will continue to monitor her closely to ensure her well-being.

Minja

Emma:

After the gates opened, Emma decided to stick around for a few days until she finally decided to leave the pen on 26 January 2013. From Leopard Pen she moved to an area relatively close by and we were able to find and feed her on 28 January. However, we spent the whole of New Year’s Eve looking for her and unfortunately were unsuccessful. According to the GPS data from her collar, she moved onto the neighbouring farm on 1 January 2014 and stayed until 2 January. On 3 January, Emma found us. We were about to drive through a gate, and she suddenly appeared behind the vehicle. It’s likely that she heard the feeding vehicle and had been following us for some time. We took the opportunity to move her back into Bellebeno, our re-wildling game camp to an artificial waterhole where we also fed her. She had to follow the car for about 2km so she earned her food for the day. The next day, we found her nearby where we left her as she had made her first confirmed kill! As soon as we approached, she picked up the kill and carried it off but we are quite sure it was a steenbok. On 6 January we found her yet again on another kill, which was also a steenbok. We are very happy with Emma’s success in this release, as she has already made two confirmed kills. We will continue to monitor her closely, but have high hopes for her future in the wild.

Emma on her first steenbok kill

Emma on 6 January 2014, photo by Patrick Viehoever

Emma on her steenbok kill on 6 January 2014, photo by Patrick Viehoever

Jacominja:

Like Emma, Jacominja decided to hang around in the enclosure for a few days before venturing out. On 26 December 2013, however, she left and moved to one of CCF’s other farms. Incredibly, on 28 December 2013, we found her on her first (known) kill, which was an adult male duiker. For having been out of the enclosure less than 48 hours, it’s impressive that Jacominja had already made a kill. On 30 December we found Jacominja again and decided to go ahead and feed her in case she was struggling to make a kill. We are teaching all our interns how to radio-track and on 1 January, one of our Dutch interns, Marianne, tracked Jacominja and found her. We decided to feed her again, just in case. A couple of days later, we found her on other kill, which was a young warthog and then again on 4 January, we found she had killed a steenbok. On 6 January she moved but we found her and again fed her. Jacominja is clearly doing well on her own in the wild with three confirmed kills, but like the others, we will continue to monitor her closely just to ensure she is coping well with her new life in the wild.

Jacominja on 1 January 2014

feeding Jacominja on 6 January 2014

Marianne tracking

Intern Story - Ben Spearing

I have now spent ten weeks in Namibia at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and I look back on my time and wonder how I was able to experience as much as I did in the short time I was here. The list of jobs and activities I have taken part in during my time here is much too long to list. The variety of work I have done ranges from scanning files into a database, to giving a cheetah eye drops. To be fair, much of the work that an intern does includes administrative tasks and cleaning the animal pens, but the activities that one could only do here at CCF make it all worth it. Being a part of releasing two cheetahs into the wild, performing a necropsy, counting herds of antelope on game drives, and observing cheetah surgeries are occurrences that can only be experienced at CCF. The Cheetah Conservation Fund does anything and everything it can to help the cheetah, and it takes hard work and passion from a lot of people to get the job done.

watching the dentist work on one of the cheetahs 

three oryx visiting a waterhole during a 12-hour waterhole count

This organization is something special. The staff members at CCF care deeply for the animals here and conservation as a whole. Saving the cheetah is not an easy job, and it does not have set hours. They sacrifice the time that they have off of work to come in and help whenever it is needed. It was truly motivating to see people from all over the world come together in Namibia to help save the cheetah as a species, and their dedication has reminded me why I pursue an education in conservation biology. This internship has only reinforced my career goals, and with the experience and work ethic I have gained here I hope I can move on to make a difference in the world of conservation.

giving the "centre feeding talk" to visitors

Volunteer Story - Elizabeth Corse

A few kilometers outside Windhoek, Brian (moves like a spring, permanently sunburned, London accent thick as the London fog) announced there were baboons in the road. I saw a few black-ish lumps that magically became, as we drew closer, actual baboons – and lots of them. Over the next few hours there were warthogs, eland, goats and sheep and cattle, jackals, steenbok and a mongoose, plus hornbills and various hawks, all surviving in a world of dry riverbeds, dry grasses and thorny bushes.

First impressions set the stage of an experience. Brian’s energy, Matti’s enthusiasm and the flourishing announcement, to our small van-load, “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you – the Waterberg,” drew up the curtain on a transformative two weeks. A few hours later, I was sitting down to dinner, gazing past a twin-peaked termite mound at that Waterberg, a magnificent and mysterious plateau of striated rock, as it reflected the brilliant fire colors of the setting sun. And it kept getting better from there.

My volunteer experience at CCF was mundane and extraordinary, tiring and invigorating, fascinating and even more fascinating. I raked goat yards and cheetah pens, fed and walked dogs, listened to a ruckus of bird calls every morning, and one day spent twelve-plus hours in a hide, counting zebra, tracking warthogs and trying to determine the ages and sexes of various oryx.

I have fed a lot of dogs in my life, but I’ve never before measured out Ultra Dog Superwoof Ostrich & Rice kibble. I have fed a few cats, but never before thrown two-kilo chunks of donkey meat over a three-meter fence for a cheetah. Three of these cats, purring together, sound as loud and rumbling as test-time at a Boeing factory – but so much lovelier.

When they play, they chase a scrap of cloth on a string – but at 60 or 70 kilometers an hour, tails swinging to the side as they take the corners at speed. They stalk, they wait, they pounce, and when they catch that rag they hold onto it – sometimes carrying it off under a tree, and trading it reluctantly when Juliette or Jenny offers a meat cube on a very long handled spoon.

On my second afternoon at CCF, after the amazement of traveling a country that has scores of deeply-carved rivers without a drop of water, I had the joy of watching the clouds mass, and hoping – seeing them darken, and hoping, hoping – feeling the wind cool and quicken, and crossing fingers – celebrating the first few drops with caught breath – seeing, feeling, hearing, smelling the rain take hold in earnest and exhaling joyfully, arms outstretched, face to the sky.

On my last morning at CCF, I watched the sky lighten above the Waterberg from a dusty, green plastic chair outside my rondavel, and then catch pink fire, radiating molten gold, copper, rose gold as scores of birds chirped, sang, called, cooed and whistled, and a kilometer or two away several small but powerful roosters crowed their heads off. A tiny duiker – unmarked, narrow ears instead of the steenboks’ oversized, stripey ones – skipped over and nibbled the ground under the acacia tree maybe ten meters from me.

Any one of those experiences would have been worth the 17-hour flight, and I haven’t even mentioned bouncing along in a well-used bush vehicle while Matti spots ostrich 300 meters away, or Chavoux eloquently catalogues causes of human-wildlife conflict, or Rob spots a bit of rhino scat he can show us – note the precise 45-degree angle at which the rhino’s teeth cut through twigs. Reaching into Amos’s head-cone to provide the ear scratches he appreciates so obviously, fending off curious goats, ferrying meat to the “boys”, tweezing ten hairs of various sizes and colors from the remnants of a scat sample. The two weeks contained about a year’s worth of new experiences.

Heading home, about a hundred miles out of Dulles Airport, the pilot announced that the temperature in Washington, DC, was six degrees below zero centigrade, or 21 degrees Fahrenheit. It seemed unreal. The Namibian savannah needs rain, and all my thoughts are of dark clouds lowering – and when can I go back.

Elizabeth Corse
CCF EarthWatch Volunteer

Digging Holes

Last week Lucia, Fabiano, Mark, Matti, Selma and Natalie went out in the field with a vehicle loaded with 2 shovels, a GPS, lots of plastic bags, a pen, ethanol in a spray bottle and some paper towels.

They followed a set of given coordinates to find the same exact spots visited twice last year at the beginning of the study. They visited a total of 96 points, 48 spots under thorn trees and 48 spots beside some grass or at least the bit of grass the drought has left. Sometimes a 300m walk through the bush was required to reach a point.

sample collection points

Once they found a spot, Selma cleaned the shovels with ethanol just for Lucia and the others to make them dirty again by digging a 20cm deep hole. The cleaning of the shovels in between the samples is important to avoid contamination. The soil was then nicely mixed up and put in a labelled plastic bag. The same procedure for the next spot, and the next spot, and the next… For 2 days they were digging holes in the hard ground which took a lot of effort on some spots where the soil was particularly compacted.

sanitising the shovel

digging the hole

But what’s the point?

In 2012 CCF started collaborating with Dr. Jeffrey Buyer, a research scientist from the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory that is part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The aim of the study is to determine how flora in the soil is affected by bush encroachment. This study complements CCF’s research on the biodiversity of fauna and flora in areas affected by bush encroachment. As part of the soil flora collaboration, soil samples are collected from open as well as bush encroached areas here at CCF. In addition samples were collected from areas in which CCF’s Bushblok harvested the bush to open up habitat and produce the eco-friendly fuel log (for more information on Bushblok see www.bushblok.com) so that the flora and it’s ecology from the two different soil types can be compared.

placing sample in bag

The results of this study have not yet been analysed, but we will keep you posted when we learn more.

Matti's USA Tour

On 1 October 2013 I set off for a three-week trip to the USA. This trip allowed me to travel to many different parts of the continent on a trail that connected me with the farmlands and cities of Northern America and the hearts of our cheetah friends. Before I left Namibia, I was very cautious of the onset of winter in the northern hemisphere, as we have had soaring temperatures here in the southern hemisphere. I visited shops in search of the warmest jacket that I could find before heading to the airport. Although mostly winter clothes were unavailable, I was able to get hold of a jacket eventually and I went to my taxi.

The trip was long, and at around 6:22am on 2 Oct we landed in Washington Dulles International Airport – what a relief! The weather was lovely, no jacket needed! I stayed with my sister for 2 days and we talked for hours – catching up with all the happenings back home and my work.

On 4 October, I flew to Denver, Colorado. The city was covered in snow and the jacket came in handy. I was picked up at the airport by Mrs. Pip Conrad before embarking on a ~ 3.5 hour trip to Rafiki Ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Salida. I stayed with Aaron and Pip Conrad who had been CCF volunteers in Namibia roughly 13 years ago. We did lots of reminiscing about the earlier days at CCF: we talked about wildlife, the farm, people, cheetahs, getting stuck in the mud and interestingly, snakes. I gave a presentation about CCF to the community of Salida the following day.

On the 6th I left Salida for Denver, where I met up with former CCF volunteer Elise Ward. At her residence, we watched American football together with the Denver CCF chapter members and friends. The combination of football and cheetahs was absolutely fantastic because I have always considered cheetahs as a sports icon.

The following day, I left Denver for San Fransisco to attend the 12th annual WCN event in Palo Alo. This event connects conservationists from around the world to invaluable resources. After a week with WCN I have a much greater appreciation of the great vision held by this network and its partners. I was happy to see Dr. Laurie Marker and Dr. Bruce Brewer; my colleagues from CCF Namibia who met me there, but could not stay for the Expo. It was great to learn about other issues from different conservationists such as small cat conservation, illegal ivory trade, and the Saiga antelope from Mongolia. On 12 Oct, I represented CCF at the WCN expo in Mission Bay, CA, along with CCF’s west coast representative, Laurie Payne. Over 1,000 public participants visited the venue.

On 14 Oct, I departed for San Diego and was picked up at the airport by past CCF volunteers and my dear friends Karen and Mike Burke. Meeting them reminded me a lot of Namibia, especially of composing cheetah songs, playing guitar, and night walking trails. That evening I gave a presentation about CCF to the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) at the San Diego Zoo. The next day I toured the San Diego Wild Animal Park with Karen and Mike and had the opportunity to meet their ambassador cheetahs. And, our CCF San Diego friends celebrated my birthday with me! It was great with a birthday cake and birthday presents.

On the 16th, I departed for Phoenix, Arizona and was picked up at the airport by Mr. Darrin Grandmason, who is the CEO of DNA on a Shirt. Immediately, we headed to AZ Bioscience High School where I gave a presentation on cheetah conservation and impacts on food production systems to 10th grade learners. I spent the rest of the afternoon with Darrin, whose latest DNA on a Shirt, a cheetah, is in partnership with CCF and is being highlighted in the Holiday Catalogue of Sky Mall. We talked about art and cheetahs and innovative solutions to communicate conservation messages. In the evening, I gave another presentation at the Fine Mark Bank (organised by Aaron Mascarella) to Spirit of the Senses members under the theme ‘Cheetahs of Namibia'. While preparing to start with the talk, I received a text message from Dr Marker about the fire at the CCF Visitor Centre. I couldn’t believe it, I felt like I was dreaming.

The following day, I boarded a shuttle from Phoenix to Tucson and upon arrival, was greeted by CCF Trustee, John and Jody Carver – Parents of the globally famous, Cameron, who founded Cheetah Kids. We travelled to the Arizona Desert museum where I gave a CCF presentation to zoo staff.

On the 18th it was off to Cincinnati, Ohio. Dan Marsh, the Director of Education at the Cincinnati Zoo, picked me up at the airport. In the afternoon, I gave a presentation to zoo staff and CCF friends in the education auditorium. This was a difficult presentation for me because I kept visualising the CCF’s Visitor Centre in Namibia going up in flames. However, the participants made me courageous with their engaging questions about how cheetahs live in Namibia. I was honoured with the presence of Mrs. Catherine Hilker, a long-time CCF cheetah supporter. I also had an opportunity to visit the animal exhibits, learn about different aspects of zoo animals and the care they receive from the dedicated staff.

Then I departed for the CCF Gala in Chicago. I was picked up at the airport by CCF’s Board of Director’s member, Polly Hix and husband Tony Fair, who were all ready for the annual gala event! All I had was a pair of jeans, T-shirt and sneakers. I felt awkward! When we got to the Foley and Lardner building, I headed for the bathrooms to change into something appropriate for the evening. This was a “star studded” event given that an ambassador cheetah from the Columbus Zoo was present! Dr. Laurie Marker and the very dedicated Chicago CCF Chapter were also there. The event was very successful; there was a buzz of positive energy amongst the participants. The event also helped to raise awareness and much needed funds to help save the cheetah. During my stay in Chicago I was kindly hosted by Marion McCreedy and Kris and Jayne Bazos.

On 21 Oct. I boarded my last plane in North America, and arrived back in Namibia the next day. I feel that my trip was successful, but there is still so much more for us to do. We have lots of support from people who care about the cheetah and CCF, and trips like this one help us grow our network of supporters. Now I am home again and work continues here, informing the public and persuading them to participate in saving a species. Even with all the technology, and all the travel and all the large events, in the end, this is what it’s all about – the people that I meet, here in Namibia and abroad, and all of us working together to save the cheetah. I hope all you, our CCF friends, will help us spread the cheetah’s story for survival, thanks!

Matti Tweshiningilwa Nghikembua
CCF Senior Ecologist

Volunteer Story - Kathleen Ager

Namibia is a land of stunning sunsets, brilliant three-dimensional night skies, breath-taking arid landscapes and, best of all, amazing wildlife. However, my purpose in visiting this young and forward-seeking country was none of the above. It was to fulfil a life-long dream of a close encounter with the oldest, fastest and most graceful of the big cats, the cheetah, and do my bit to contribute to its race for survival. The rest was just a bonus.

The land, its people, and the adventure involved in staying and volunteering at the Cheetah Conservation Fund’s compound surpassed all my expectations. Sure, for someone used to a desk job in air-conditioned comfort, there were physical challenges involved. November is the end of the dry season, and temperatures were soaring, the sun was relentless, and I had not done my homework in regard to the altitude. However, I would be happy to repeat the experience tomorrow. In fact, I can’t wait to return.

I was surprised by the size of the CCF Centre’s property. One of CCF’s farms, called Elandsvreugde (meaning “Eland’s Joy), even includes a runway strip. There is the sheer size of the land, which appears to cover as far as the eye can see, up to the beautiful Waterberg Plateau. It agglomerates seven farms including a number of large cheetah habitat enclosures to shelter the current 50 or so resident cheetahs, all of them rescue animals. A portion of these will be rehabilitated and returned to the wild; for those who are physically and psychologically unfit to survive in the wild, this will be their permanent home. There is a genetic laboratory, a research centre and a clinic – the more we find out about the cheetah, the more tools we will have to help it to survive; the CCF is also the keeper of the International Cheetah Studbook. But the land also carries a thousand head of prime cattle (Cheetah Friendly Beef), goat herds, a creamery producing goat cheeses and ice-cream, and a factory manufacturing fire logs made from local acacia, a species encroaching on the land to the detriment of other savannah plants and cheetah habitat. Most important of all, is the Livestock Guarding Dog Programme, which assists the cheetah by providing Namibian farmers with predator protection. This program is an important tool in the challenge of changing a well-embedded mindset and transforming the perception of the cheetah as vermin into that of an important asset for tourism and a healthy ecosystem. There is an education centre, a restaurant, a guesthouse and a gift shop, as the centre is open to the public for visits and activities. All in all, the CCF employs over 90 people, an achievement for a charity. And the dedication and welcome of the staff and interns, headed by the remarkable Dr Laurie Marker, are exemplary.


CCF days usually start at dawn, to avoid the heat. Not much time to admire the glorious morning skies. Various tasks await, from walking the dogs whose task is to detect the scat of wild cheetahs, to cleaning the goats’ kraal, or preparing meat and feeding the resident cheetahs. For me, the most exciting activities are the wildlife counts; these are normally done at dusk or at night, from one of the rather rickety safari vehicles, or from dawn to dusk from a hide at a waterhole. On one of these occasions, I saw nine giraffes together, drinking at one of the CCF’s waterholes! In the heat of the day, volunteers help with office work – in our case, scanning archives. Following the recent tragic fire, in which the visitor’s centre was destroyed by lightning, this has become a priority to ensure that all paper documents are preserved in digital format.

For the weekend, the CCF helped to organise for us to visit Etosha National Park, with a very knowledgeable guide. There we saw elephants, lions, hyenas and even a couple of rhinos, all in a magnificent setting presented with careful consideration for the environment, due to the foresight of the Namibian Government who enshrined conservation in the national constitution.

The work is a price I willingly paid for precious memories: a glimpse of a rare albino jackal, a family of banded mongoose scurrying around in the undergrowth, a majestic male kudu with his pretty females, a Kori Bustard in display, and, especially, gazing into the stunning amber eyes of a purring cheetah.

I will be back!