EDUCATION PROGRAMME
After many years of working with the farming community it became clear that youth education was vital to the long-term conservation of large carnivores. The WSPA/AfriCat Environmental Education Centre opened in April 1998 with the objective of promoting predator and environmental awareness among Namibian youth.
Schools and learners from all over Namibia are invited to participate in a three-day/two-night environmental education programme. The programme is adapted to the various ages of the different groups, but includes activities that are focused on predator conservation and general environmental awareness, i.e. nature walks, outdoor games, and cheetah viewing. Since its inception the AfriCat Education Programme has reached over 20 000 children and young adults at the Education Centre or through the Outreach Programme.
WELFARE PROGRAMME
There are several reasons as to why these animals have had to remain in our care, the primary one being orphaned cubs that would be dependent on their mothers for food and protection and are too young to cope on their own. These cubs have either been captured without their mothers or their mothers have been killed.
Many of the cheetahs and leopards that we have taken in have been in captivity elsewhere for extended periods of time; they have become habituated to people or completely tame, making them unsuitable for release. These animals are either no longer wanted, have become too expensive to care for, or have been confiscated by the authorities for being held illegally or with improper care. Most of the cheetahs and leopards that have suffered injuries have been returned to the wild after recuperation, but in cases where the injuries have been too extensive, the cats have had to remain in captivity.
Providing a healthy living environment for large carnivores in captivity is fundamental to minimising illness and injuries. The animals are housed in spacious enclosures of between five and four hundred acres in a natural, stress-free environment. They are fed a well-balanced diet with additional vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent deficiencies. The animals are observed on a daily basis to monitor their wellbeing and condition, allowing a quick response and treatment for any illness or injuries that may occur. Once a year the animals are anaesthetised for a thorough health examination by AfriCat’s veterinarian.
Veterinary specialists in the fields of dentistry, ophthalmology, gastroenterology and reproduction are also consulted to give input to the health assessments and perform various procedures that may be required.
The animals are vaccinated, blood samples are taken and contraceptive implants are administered.
Although our animals receive a high standard of health care, illness and injuries cannot be prevented altogether. Animals requiring veterinary treatment or surgery are anaesthetised and taken to AfriCat’s on-site clinic
Animals requiring isolation for recuperation or while on medication are placed in the special holding facilities constructed within their enclosures. The animals in captivity at AfriCat provide opportunities to increase awareness of their wild counterparts and their conservation priorities to children at the AfriCat Education Centre as well as foreign visitors to Namibia. CHEETAH REHABILITATION PROGRAMMEAfriCat’s cheetah rehabilitation programme was initiated to give some of our captive cheetahs an opportunity to return to their natural environment. Although hunting in carnivores is instinctive, many of the cheetahs at AfriCat lack experience due to being orphaned or removed from the wild at an early age. This inexperience, as well as their conditioning to captivity, makes these animals unsuitable for release on farmland.
The 10 000-acre TUSK Trust Cheetah Rehabilitation Area provides these cheetahs with the opportunity to hone their hunting skills and become self-sustaining. The cheetahs are fitted with radio-collars before their release so that their welfare and progress can be closely monitored. The objective is that once they have proved that they can hunt for themselves and cope on their own, they can be relocated to a private game reserve, where their progress will continue to be monitored. Besides giving the cheetahs a chance to return to the wild, the success of this project provides other substantial benefits. It gives us the opportunity to assess whether rehabilitation is a successful means of conserving an endangered population and also allows for the number of cheetahs in captivity to be reduced.
Registered Namibian non-profit organisation number:
T48/93 The AfriCat Foundation
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