On the Easter week-end, with a short delay, two more male cheetahs were released into freedom. The two boys had become familar with the new environment during months in a protective boma. Now they will try fortune in the 75,000 hecatres of Madikwe Reserve.
On this Good Friday, Declan Hofmeyr, Operations Manager of the reserve, is pleased: "The two boys from the Tau Dam / Picnic Boma were released this morning." He speaks of the two male cheetahs, which had arrived here a few months ago. “They are still in the area of the boma”, says Hofmeyr, who monitors the movements of the animals closely.
There is now a total of five cheetah males which our safari guests might discover on game drives with a little luck. One male who lives here already for three years is walking alone. The others are walking in pairs. "We call them the 'Phinda Males' or' Phinda Coalition 'as opposed to the' Sable Ranch Coalition who are the other two", says Hofmeyr. The names are attributable to the origin of the animals.
By splitting the coalitions, the reserve has now created the foundation to introduce cheetah females. In the past, several attempts had failed.
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