Boris Update

The above map shows the latest movements of our first released cheetah, Boris. Each yellow dot represents a GPS co-ordinate that his Sirtrack GPS collar has sent on a daily basis. As you can see Boris has been on the move since our last update. The big cluster of points in the bottom right of the map shows that he was quite content in this area. However, Solitaire Guest Farm's owner Walter Swartz sighted a large coalition of SEVEN cheetahs in this area and the very next day Boris had moved off North. Indicating that Boris was probably forced out of his territory by this group.  Continuing Northwards one night he even returned home and walked right through the Guest Farm itself, leaving his tracks all around our waterhole. 

Boris also moved into areas where livestock farming is prevalent causing some anxiety amongst some local farmers, however, Boris ignored the goats and sheep and instead hunted Springbok. One of his fully eaten kills was even found right behind one of the farmer's houses. Boris had done an excellent job at combating the prejudice cheetahs face by some farmers by demonstrating that given the choice, the majority of cheetah will not predate on livestock and when left undisturbed will eat as much as they can and NOT be wasteful as some will call them.

As the map shows Boris appears to have a preference for the mountain bases, which goes against what most would have expected of a lone male. However, clearly he has still to find a comfortable territory similar to that of his first couple of months and has been exploring the Namib Desert ever.  since. 

In early March Boris' points indicated that he was moving through one of our neighbors farms belonging to the Namib Naukluft Lodge. We contacted the lodge owners and they generously allowed us onto their land to track Boris on foot in the hope we could get a visual. The GPS collar around Boris's neck also transmits a VHF radio frequency to allow him to be located on the ground via radio-telemetry, in exactly the same way we did when he was undergoing his environmental adjustment period in the NCCC's 500ha soft-release camp.

So on March the 6th Kate and our volunteers went out in search of Boris. They drove to his last known position and soon picked up the 'beep' on the radio-telemetry equipment indicating the direction to go. The closer to Boris they got the louder the beep, when it was clear Boris was within a kilometere the search continued on foot so not to disturb him. The beep became louder and louder until it pointed Kate towards a medium sized bush very close to their position. Boris was hiding in it somewhere. 

The search party with binoculars and cameras at the ready began moving slowly to try and gain a better vantage point and see if Boris could be seen. But then a rustle of the bushes was quickly followed by a blur of movement as Boris had spotted the party and ran away into the distance. Somehow one of our volunteers managed to get a great shot of Boris emerging from the bush, looking lean and muscular; the perfect physique for a cheetah. 

Disturbing him was unfortunate but thankfully, once realising he was under no threat Boris stopped in his tracks, relaxed and sat in the bush only a few hundred metres away.

Seeing Boris in such good condition was great to see; proving that he is having no problem hunting in his new environment. Since that day Boris has continued moving South and is currently in the Namib Naukluft Park. Boris is doing better than we could have hoped and he has been the perfect ambassador for his species due to his behaviour whilst moving through farming areas. We are extremely proud of him! :)

Pittsburgh Marathon 2012

We need your help!!!

On the 6th of May 2012 Kate and I will be participating in the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay during our holiday to the USA.

We are running to raise funds for a new holding/quarantine camp for our cheetahs here at the NCCC being kept in our large 500ha soft-release enclosure. This new complex will help us look after any cheetah that becomes sick or injured and will provide more options when dealing with cheetahs suitable for release, especially females with cubs who would need to be isolated from the big male Spartacus.

Please support us and give what you can and share this link with all of your friends. It will be greatly appreciated and truly help the NCCC’s efforts to conserve wild carnivores.

Click here to donate - It will only take two minutes! :)

Many thanks! Matt and Kat

Volunteer Reports

Jana Fode

The first thing I heard about Solitaire was that the landscape is so beautiful, and that is absolutely true as it looks just how you would picture Africa to be. I wanted to see and experience as much as I could during my stay in Namibia so I decided to volunteer at the NCCC. It was a good decision!

I would be joined by two other volunteers Jess and Paul. Shortly after we arrived we were taken by Matt and Kate to track the cheetahs in the 500ha soft release camp. Before entering I felt very relaxed because I had met several cheetahs before at N/a'an ku se's Wildlife Sanctuary. But the moment we met Spartacus he gave me a very different experience! For the first time I saw a cat that could live and act just like a wild one. However, Spartacus was not my favourite cheetah, Pepper is the cat I fell in love with. Her glance is very intense even though she was hand raised from a young age. 

But back to the research work which includes hiking to the camera traps which are spread over the area, I like this part a lot and I was happy I got the exercise because Matt and Kate are fast walkers and climbers, they will make you fit! :) 

After returning and having cooled of your feet in the pool you then get the chance to have a look through the pictures and if  you are lucky you may find leopards, cheetah or hyena, but you will definitely see a lot of springbok, oryx and zebra.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the trip were the sundowners, whether you see them with the tour guests in the cheetah camp or up on sunset hill close to the Guest Farm, they are amazing!

I also really enjoyed the trip to the dunes at Soussusvlei, you shouldn't miss the chance to go there!! All in all I enjoyed the trip and would recommend it to anyone who loves nature, animals and research work.

Paul Jennings

I came here to the NCCC as I wanted to experience cheetahs in their natural habitat and see for myself what is being done to protect them. I have done various activities including cheetah tracking, cheetah husbandry, game drives and camp maintenance. My favourite activity was feeding the cheetahs because they are at their most active and you can see their natural instincts and strength. Spartacus is the most active cheetah in the enclosure and the adrenaline starts running if he mock charges you!

The Guest Farm and surrounding landscape is amazing and its such a relaxing place to be. On a quiet day its nice to hike through the mountains and take in the beautiful views. I would recommend the experience to anyone interested in Wildlife Conservation.

Jess Labow

Before my arrival at the NCCC I had no idea what to expect. I asked around at N/a'an ku se and was told by other volunteers who had been there that the scenery was beautiful, the atmosphere relaxing and the co-ordinators lovely. My expectations were high after hearing all of this info, however I was not let down.

The first few days were exciting; learning about tracking cheetahs, having hungry cheetahs circling you waiting for food, and learning their history and where they came from. Just with any other conservation project there are always the non-exciting tasks to be done, but Matt and Kate always make sure there is some cheetah tracking/husbandry mixed with some relaxation.

My favourite cheetah would have to be Spartacus. Although he hisses and spits he is usually just protecting his girlfriend Pepper. Although the days can be extremely hot and the nights very cool, it has to be one of the most calming and beautiful landscapes I have and will ever see.

New Arrivals: Laura and Cubs

The NCCC have welcomed three more cheetahs into the soft release holding camp to begin their environmental adjustment period in view for possible release at a later stage.

The three cats in question are an eight-year-old female named ‘Laura’ and her two 24-month-old female cubs ‘Sandy’ and ‘Rusty’. Laura was trapped on a hunting farm in the Otjiwarongo area over two years ago along with her young cubs. N/a’an ku se were called and the cheetah family was taken to N/a’an ku se’s Wildlife Sanctuary.

The start of the NCCC last June has now presented us with the chance to possibly release this family back to the wild or at the very least provided them with extremely large new home. 

Upon their arrival Laura and her cubs were taken straight to the 500ha soft release camp where we document their daily movements via tracking collars. In this case it was important that each individual was fitted with a collar as it can be expected that the cubs will soon split from their mother.

 

For the first night, the cats were left in our small holding pen to adjust to their new environment. By the next morning the cats were ready for their first meal, a large tasty zebra leg. This ensured they had some energy to begin exploring their new home. 

Since that day the family has continued to stay together and they have been found in all sections of the pen. Also, Laura has already made her first kill, a jackal.

However, a year and a half in captivity have left their marks and they often approach the tracking vehicle in anticipation of food. We will continue to observe the family and see if his type of behaviour can be reduced, as a high level of habituation can be very problematic for their suitability for release. We will of course keep you updated on our new family’s progress.

Volunteer Report: Mirjam Frey

Everyday at the NCCC is a new great adventure. After the exciting start with finding Pepper, the newly arrived ‘lost’ five year old cat, in the 500 hectare pen, it continued with translating to German speaking guests on the cheetah drive, checking camera traps and a trip to the dunes in Sossusvlei.

We hoped that Spartacus, our only male cheetah, would bond with beautiful Pepper, because for both of them the pen will be their constant home. They are seen together from time to time. After the stressful first week she seems to like her new home. She behaves like the perfect ambassador cheetah for tourists. She is posing, hissing, spiting and at the same time just a relaxed beautiful self-confident cat, which can be approached easily with a group of guests. It is so amazing to see how different the cheetahs behave every day. 

Guests can see the cheetahs while attending either the one- or two-our drive in the morning or afternoon. Some of them don’t even realise what they will experience before they approach for their first time the cheetahs. But then, every hesitation is gone and they are just amazed by how close they can get to the cats. As there are quite a lot of German speaking guests I translate the information about the partnership between N/a'an ku se and the Solitaire Guest Farm, the pen and its purpose and about the cheetahs, and why they are here and what will happen to them. I like these tours. They are a great way to show people this beautiful slender carnivore. And while the guests learn a lot about the cats so do I while translating to them. To see the response of the guests after the drive is the best reward. They always chatting happily away about what they have just experienced with each other on the way back. Even people who seemed a bit unhappy before the drive have a bright smile all over their faces after getting that close to a cheetah.

Apart from making sure the cats are fine each day and feeding them once a week we check on the camera traps. They are all placed in different spots in riverbeds and little valleys. After a short drive always follows a hike. Some of them are shorter, some longer. But the length is not the actual challenge. Much more challenging is the sun. Even a short walk can feel like miles just because it can heat up that much during the day. But after you will be rewarded by skipping through the pictures, which is always quite exciting. Is there a hyena or even a leopard between all the pictures of zebras and kudus? Sometimes you also get funny pictures of the small animals like the cute little rock dassies, which are hanging out in front of the camera. 

Because the dunes of Sossusvlei are just ‘around’ the corner of Solitaire I also got the possibility to see them. One morning my fellow volunteer Mellissa and Matt got up at five o’clock in the morning to make our two hours drive down to the dunes. First we climbed barefoot Dune 45. It was just amazing. Such a great view all over from the top of it. But the best came on the way back: We didn’t take the ‘official’ way; instead we jumped down on one side of the dune. It was just great fun. After the ‘jump session’ we walked over to Deadvlei: A dry salt lake with a lot of dead trees and another stunning view. Our last stop was dune Big Mama – and she was big, but worse to climb it. After another ‘jumping session’ we had to run back to the car, because in the meantime the sand had heated up by the sun and we almost burnt off our feet! It was a great morning in a stunning countryside – many thanks to our great ‘tour guide’ Matt! 

Mirjam Frey.