Farmers, cheetahs explore the art of living together
The Namibian
Thursday, November 3, 2005 - Web posted at 8:28:26 GMT
* LINDSAY DENTLINGER

WHEN farmers capture cheetahs that they believe are attacking their livestock, the Africat Foundation and the Cheetah Conservation Fund are left with the tough decision of what to do with these big cats.

The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) says it rescues up to 70 cats a year, caught by farmers in trap cages.

This week Africat and CCF provided details on how they deal with these animals and the criteria used to decide whether or not to release the animals back into the wild.

"Living with predators is never going to be easy, but it can be done, as is being demonstrated by many Namibian farmers.

Removing cheetahs buys some time for the farmer and the cat, but ultimately, the key to human-predator conflict resolution lies in sound livestock and wildlife management," say the two organisations, both of which are based in the Otjiwarongo area.

Farmland captures typically take place at so-called "play trees", along fence lines, or in the veld using live bait.

Mostly, these animals are captured because a farmer has suffered a loss or as a preventive measure.

But sometimes they are captured purely as a result of cheetah activity being seen.

"Captures very rarely take place at a kraal and virtually never in the same time frame as an actual loss.

Since cheetahs rarely return to a kill, the captured animals are seldom directly associated with a specific loss, as is more commonly the case with leopards," say Africat and the CCF.

The CCF's Bonnie Schumann told The Namibian that farmers rarely intend to kill the animals but just want them removed from areas where they are perceived to be causing damage.

"It's all about livestock management.

But exterminating the predator doesn't solve the problem," Schumann said.

CAPTURE Most cats captured on farmland are caught at play trees - a tree where cheetahs regularly gather to socialise and play.

Schumann says this is an indication that the animal caught is not necessarily directly responsible for any damage.

"Where and when a cheetah is captured is usually a good indication as to whether the actual cheetah that may have been causing livestock losses has been caught.

A cheetah captured inside a kraal is more likely to be the problem than a cheetah captured at a play tree, because multiple individuals with overlapping home ranges, as well as transient youngsters, visit the play trees," say Africat and the CCF.

Cheetahs captured at play trees are considered releasable, because this indiscriminate capture does not target specific conflict animals, but rather any cheetah passing through.

The period between livestock loss and capture is also important when determining whether the right predator has been caught.

Most captures occur days or even weeks after a loss.

Radio telemetry data collected over nine years shows that cheetahs are virtually never found on the same farm from one week to the next, with the exception of females with cubs under eights weeks old.

Since home ranges overlap and individuals travel vast distances, (the average cheetah home range is 1 500 square kilometres) any significant time lapse between livestock loss and capture makes it highly unlikely that it is the culprit that has been caught.

The circumstances under which a cat is caught and whether actual livestock or game losses have occurred, are also taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to release the cat back into nature.

If the capture is a preventive measure carried out in anticipation of losses, the animal is considered releasable.

Cheetahs that attack livestock may be categorised as either habitual or opportunistic livestock killers.

Certain cheetahs may develop a habit of killing livestock, and they will go as far as climbing into kraals to target livestock despite close proximity to humans or even the presence of dogs in the kraal.

Where suspected habitual livestock killers are identified (e.g.

caught at a kraal) every effort is made to relocate these animals in non-livestock areas such as reserves.

Failing this, they may well remain in captivity.Other cheetahs have been recorded moving through calving herds or in close proximity to livestock and ignoring them.

Opportunistic behaviour occurs when a predator takes livestock occasionally, but does not actively seek out livestock in preference to natural prey.

Cheetahs caught taking game in game camps, although causing economic losses, are considered releasable, as they are taking natural prey.

Cheetahs under 16 months are considered non-releasable without an adult.

However following rehabilitation as adults, cheetahs that have been orphaned at an early age could be released into controlled situations such as reserves.

Where a cheetah's age, dental and physical condition are such that survival in the wild is no longer possible, it is considered to be non-releasable.

Cheetahs are not considered releasable when they have been injured to such an extent that, even with medical intervention, the injuries would handicap the animal's ability to hunt.

Cheetahs that are used to human contact are not considered suitable for farmland release, but would be considered for release into reserve situations.

Both CCF and AfriCat do a full health check on cheetahs before they are released, and all animals are marked with ear tags or transponders.

No cheetahs are released onto private farmland without the permission of the owner and cheetahs are not released onto public roads.

Farmers who allow the release of trapped cheetahs are provided with information including weight, age, ear tag numbers and general release locations.

The names of farmers who permit CCF and AfriCat to release cheetahs are held in confidence, and neighbours are not notified of these releases.

This allows farmers who support cheetah conservation to participate without incurring the animosity of neighbours with differing beliefs.