Cheetah

Cheetah, the spotted cat that does not retract its claws

In September 2022 Namibia donated eight cheetahs to India to reintroduce the fastest land mammal (top speed 105 km/h) after 70 years of absence in the country. After the eight spotted cats, which originated from commercial farms in Namibia, had been loaded on board a special Boeing 747, Kenneth /Uibeb, Deputy Director - Wildlife Research and Monitoring in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, said that Namibia has the second highest cheetah population after Botswana in Africa and in the world with 1600 plus individuals.

Research

Unfortunately the population is decreasing mainly because of human-wildlife conflict but also because of decline of natural prey, habitat loss and diseases.  In a research project from 1992 to 1994 in Etosha National Park seven cheetahs were equipped with tracking devices. All seven animals died. Six of them became victims to the infectious disease anthrax. Previously it had been assumed that predators were immune to the disease and it was believed that the cheetah population had declined in the park due to pressure from the other large predators like lion, leopard and spotted hyena. It seemed to be clear that anthrax was responsible for the decline of the cheetah population in the park.

Distribution

Most cheetahs, a spotted cat that cannot retract their claws, are found outside the safety of National parks on communal and commercial farms in the northern central area of Namibia but also in the arid areas of southern Kunene region and westerly parts of the Hardap Region. A few have even adapted to desert conditions in the Namib Desert. To see cheetahs these days the Namutoni, Halali and Okaukueko areas in Etosha National Park are a good place to be on the lookout.

Unique behavior

Namibian cheetahs have a unique behavior. On a regular base they visit so-called play-trees, trees which they can climb with ease to mark the trunk with their urine and/or faeces. Often they play by jumping up and down the tree. Farmers know about these trees frequently visited spots and often put up their cage traps there to catch cheetahs and remove them from the farm.

Hunting

Cheetahs like open savannas to hunt during the day where they are able to use their speed but they do hunt in bush and tree savannas too. They prey on smaller antelope like springbok, steenbok, common duiker and the young calves of oryx, red hartebeest and kudu. They do take warthog, shrub hare, springhare and the occasional bird. Dr. Phillip "Flip" Stander, the world-famous lion researcher had observed cheetahs successfully hunting springbok in the thick bush on moonless nights in the Etosha National Park. But they often lost their catch to lions or spotted hyenas.

Captivity

Cheetahs are classified as protected species in Namibia and their conservation status is endangered. The global IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature) status is vulnerable. Unfortunately a lot of cheetahs in Namibia end up in enclosures as tourist attractions or as tame animals to please tourist who like to pose with these unique predators. Cheetahs in captivity are lost for conservation since these cats are mostly kept as single individuals or as a group of siblings. If animals from different areas or groups and opposite sex are put together, they do not breed. Cheetahs are very difficult to breed because females are very particular when picking a male to mate.

If you as a visitor would like to support conservation of cheetahs do visit places where free roaming cheetahs can be experienced.

Text and photos Dirk Heinrich