Cheetah release May 2010

18 MAY 2010 – 7:00 am

What a great day it was!!!

The AfriCat Welfare Team, headed by Carla & Dave had prepared this group of cheetahs for ages and they were in superb condition!!

Wayne, AJ, Mush & The Park Team - had brilliantly constructed the new 16 000ha Okonjima Reserve fence which was finally completed the day before -

All the OKONJIMA guides, Tristan and the managers convinced every guest to be part of our great day - it seemed we had more support there than what SA got during The Football World Cup

To top it all - Luigi chose the perfect day to age grace-fully. Happy Birthday Luigi! What a day for the NEXT Okonjima generation; Keanu, Jayd Kayden and all the other youngsters, never ventured from the game-vehicle, but could not get enough of the excitement!!!

The ITV crew, Roy vd Merwe & Dudley Vial captured the moments on camera for us all to relive day after day!!

A BIG THANKS to everyone who made this day a reality... and believe it or not, perhaps beginners luck - the 5 caught their FIRST KILL - a steenbok, by late afternoon!

The next day, mid afternoon - the 2nd kill was recorded - a young warthog! Day 3 - all 5 tried to attempt a LEOPARD KILL. AJ could not believe what he was witnessing! Luckily NO one was hurt, but the leopard’s ego.

Whoever said; “cheetah have NO instinct or skill - if they grow up in captivity” - might just have to rethink again!!!

Trying to attack a leopard was not the most intelligent thing to do, BUT this is the danger they have to face – It’s about “trial & error” – and thinking a leopard is a potential meal – is more ERROR, but this they have to learn as time passes!

8:30 am

We always think that when we open that gate - the cheetahs will run into the sunset - as if they could not wait for the day they were set free!!!??

This is the case - when WILD cheetahs are released after being in captivity for a short period of time - they do 'charge out' - usually never to be seen again!

THIS IS NOT THE CASE WITH CAPTIVE cheetahs that have become habituated and have been in captivity for a while. They find a strange comfort somehow in their 'captive state' - and walking into the unfamiliar world called 'The WILD/The BUSH/FREEDOM' - is quite daunting to say the least!

All 5 had to be called and bribed before they would leave the familiarity of their fenced-in area. Carla, Lars, Dave and The AfriCat Welfare team had given them a good feed the night before – and once they were out, another last ‘easy meal' was on offer.

The BELOW images show them slowly walking out, grabbing their meal, and then exploring the unfamiliar smells and objects they now found themselves in - all this time not realizing just how famous they actually are and how high the expectations are that they make it out there.

The OKONJIMA guests and staff members and the PAWS volunteers - enjoyed every minute! (see video clip of the release at the end of the AfriCat movie under MEDIA)

If not for the vision of Wayne and the Hanssen siblings and a team of supporters behind them every step of the way - this day would never have happened!!! As a young boy - Wayne always had a dream of an animal sanctuary - where no animal will be harmed - a dream where cattle farming will make way for a private Nature Reserve where we can give predators a chance to do what they do best - without being punished for doing just that - hunting!

It has taken nearly a lifetime of careful planning; - presenting a story to keen potential sponsors about the need for more land to be able to give captive cats a chance in the wild in a 'natural environment' to hone in those skills and instincts they have, through trial and error - without being prosecuted!

The final 16 000ha park fence (75km) has cost Okonjima and AfriCat and a group of supportive sponsors, over N$6million to complete. This fence will allow these cats to take the time they need to become completely independent hunters - in a protected area right in the middle of commercial farmland!