Conservation of Cheetahs

Wow, my first week at Cheetah Experience has been amazing!! To come this far from New Zealand to see these beautiful and magnificent cats up close and know I'm part of the conservation of cheetahs through an inspirational dream that Riana Van Nieuwenhuizen has made come true with the constant help of her team, and with the support of people like me volunteering in Africa....I feel very privileged to have had a share in this dream with Riana.

Pardus

Today, between cleaning duties in one of the enclosures and taking a group on a guided tour, I played with our gorgeous 10 week old baby black leopard (Pardus). You can still see her rosettes through her dark fur quite clearly in the sunlight. When she grows up hopefully she will be accepted as a mate for our other resident black leopard (Panthera) who is 12 months old and still very, very playful and cheeky.

As you walk past Panthera's enclosure he likes to follow you as though he's stalking you. All you see are his big golden eyes staring after you as he sneaks round his enclosure watching you.
I definitely don't look anything like his favourite meal of chicken!!

Then there is our baby Caracal, Max who is 10 weeks old, and is the cutest little thing ever! With his big gorgeous ears which seem too big for his body but make him look adorable....and to think it'll only be another 6 months before he can climb up on the roof like Jack, the fully grown Caracal, and be able to jump 3.5 metres high to catch birds flying over his enclosure. 

Another cutie and sweetest is Arabella, our 9 week old Bengal Tiger which Cheetah Experience is raising along with her brother till they're 6 months old when they'll have to go to another home which we're currently looking for! 

My day was all babies today till the very end when I fed 8 month old Apollo and Abby their delicious chicken drum sticks which they devoured and ate totally clean - well at least Apollo's were. These two are the first babies from the conservation of cheetahs breeding programme Riana has started. 

Apollo

They still have their fluffy 'mantels' of fur on the backs of their neck and are gorgeous to cuddle. You wouldn't believe anyone could harm them but poachers kill them for their pelts so some people can decorate their homes and adorn themselves with coats.....  :'( 

Volunteering in Africa and being part of the conservation of cheetahs has changed me forever in how I view these beautiful creatures that remind me of an elegant sphinx.    

To think I helped to make a difference albeit only for 2 weeks which doesn't seem long enough now.....     

Only 10% of cheetah babies survive in the wild and with only around 1500 left in the wild:  

Cheetah Experience NEEDS your help!!

Adopt: www.cheetahexperience.com/adopt

Volunteer: www.cheetahexperience.com/volunteer

Donate (Paypal): donate@cheetahexperience.com
Facebook: www.cheetahexperience/facebook
Twitter: www.twitter.com/cheetahexp

Subscribe: www.youtube.com/cheetahexperience

By viewing the above links and doing what you can - you too can be part of this amazing experience. Or even better, pack your bags and come volunteering in Africa.

Cheetah Experience - Babies

It is so cold here some days my fingers feel like falling off in the mornings and evenings!! It's been in the negatives for the past few nights.....brrrr. I don't know how our baby cubs, serval, black leopard and Bengal tigers survive...

They're so small and such furballs - here's Max the Caracal (2 months old) and Max the Lion (3 months old).

Cheetah Experience - Big Wild Cat Feeding

My days are very full here with:  lions, cheetahs, leopards including a black one, caracals, servals, and Canadian wolves which they have a couple of. Feeding, cleaning out the pens, checking fences and general maintenance makes up my day. Feeding is interesting as I'm physically in with some of the animals giving them meat....

The main focus here is on the breeding of cheetahs - the mission statement is: To promote and fund the conservation of the cheetahs and other endangered species through captive breeding, behavioural research and public awareness.

Check out the website of where I'm working.... http://www.cheetahexperience.com/

Here I Come Bloemfontein

Long bus trip from Pretoria to Bloemfontein today....all is good at the project and I've already petted cheetah and lion cubs!! Amazing!!

Baggage didn't arrive till a couple of days later to Johannesburg but all good now and I can finally change my clothes - thank god.

Short Holiday Over

Lying in the sun is over.    :-(   I've enjoyed the days off and have the tan to show it.

Work in Bloemfontein, Sth Africa here I come.....

Hopefully there is easy access to the internet and I can keep you all uptodate on how my last weeks go!!  :-)