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RESEARCH PROGRAMME
Ongoing collaboration with scientists and the conservation authorities and working closely with the farming community allows for studies to be conducted that provide valuable information on large carnivores and their long-term conservation in Namibia.

AfriCat is involved in a number of studies involving the cheetahs at AfriCat, as well as the cheetahs and leopards captured on farmland.

Studies Involving the Cheetahs at AfriCat
The annual health examinations of the cheetahs at AfriCat give invited specialist veterinarians the opportunity to research a variety of animal health aspects, particularly those relating to the health of large carnivores in captivity. As well as providing expert information on the health of AfriCat’s animals, it also allows for the comparison of results of similar studies being conducted on large carnivores in other captive facilities.

Some of this information can also be used to gain insight into the health of large carnivores in the wild. This research includes studies on:

•Reversible, safe contraception in captive felids
•The incidence of gastric ulceration and the presence of Heliobacter spp. in cheetah
•Post vaccinal titres of antibodies against Anthrax
•Comparative animal behaviour and management of captive populations.

A study on thermoregulation in free-living cheetah was recently completed by the University of the Witwatersrand’s physiology department. The research was conducted over a period of six months with six cheetahs in the 10000-acre Cheetah Rehabilitation Area as the study group.

Cheetahs and Leopards on Farmland
The data that is collected from each animal that moves through the AfriCat programme is recorded in a database that allows for easy access to information either on a particular cat or when providing statistics on these carnivores to researchers around the world.

The data from the captured cheetahs and leopards, i.e. where each animal was captured, its characteristics, such as gender, age, etc., gives us some idea as to the geographical distribution and demographics of the wild cheetah and leopard populations living on Namibian farmland.

The biological samples (blood, serum and hair) can be used for various studies with analysis results potentially giving us insight into the health, as well as the genetic make-up of Namibia’s wild cheetah and leopard populations.

Geographical distribution of captured cheetahs and leopards
Namibia is a large country with an area of 824 300 km² (321 500 sq. miles) and a population of only 1.9 million people. Although all regions of the country still have wildlife, including carnivores, the population numbers are often unknown and vary dramatically. Namibia is home to approximately 25% of the world’s cheetah population, of which 90% live on commercial and communal farmland.

Although there may be some correlation between the number of cheetahs and leopards captured in the various farming districts and the distribution and density of the wild population of these large carnivores in Namibia, the data doesn’t prove this in any way. The information does however highlight those areas where there are varying degrees of conflict between predators and livestock and game farmers.

Cheetahs - Social Organisation
The categories that have been used to group the captured and recorded cheetahs in the analyses to follow are based on their social organisation:

Solitary - adult male or female captured alone.

Female with cubs – adult female and one or more male and/or female cubs captured simultaneously or within a short time span at the same capture point.

Coalition – two or more males (2 years and older) captured simultaneously or within a short time span at the same capture point.

Sibling groups – two or more sibling males and/or females (between 18 and 24 months old) captured simultaneously or within a short time span at the same capture point. The sibling group indicates those cheetah groups which are at the stage where they have recently become independent from their mothers, and therefore includes the younger brother groups (between 18 and 24 months) not included in the coalition group. These littermates are known to spend a short time together before the females move off on their own and the males form coalitions or become solitary.

Cubs - young males and/or females that have been captured simultaneously or within a short time span of an adult female.

Once a cheetah or leopard has been caught in a trap, the surrounding area is checked for any signs indicating that the animal might not have been alone before being caught, e.g. spoor around the trap. Capture situations differ but every effort is made to keep social groups together - coalitions, siblings and especially a mother and her cubs. If required, attempts are made to either capture those that have not yet been caught or release those that have been caught to reunite with the other members of the group.

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