Captures

Juliette (cheetah curator) got some amazing news last weekend: a private game reserve in Namibia, Erindi, is willing to take two more cheetahs, which means CCF gets to release two of our captive cheetahs to the “wild”. Who are the lucky ladies? Luna and Athena.

 Luna

Athena

In order to get the two chosen females ready, we had to capture them into a box for transport up in Bellebenno and bring them down to CCF’s main center to release into one of the Eland enclosures in order for them to get habituated to humans driving around them and taking photographs of them (as this will happen several times a day when they are in Erindi). We did not get to assist in the capture itself, just watch from the truck, and of course my camera battery died, so I have to get good pictures from someone else, but these are some I managed to snap of Ryan closing the door to the box with Luna inside and one of Athena unhappily inside the box, loaded on the truck for transport.

 I did get to help open up the crate for Luna to enter the Eland holding pen, but again, that picture is on someone else’s camera, so hopefully I can get my hands on a copy… The next day, Paul (farm manager and hunter), shot a warthog to feed to the two ladies so we could see if they were capable of opening a carcass. 

Athena was successful and then she became a booty nosher:

In other news, there is a wild cheetah, most likely a male, that has been marking his territory around the 57ha female cheetah enclosure in Bellebenno and we’d like to get a look at him! He has pooped the last three days, and yesterday we put up a camera trap to try a capture him on film. When we went to Bellebenno today though, there were no tracks, no fresh scat, and just some sexy photos of my booty, LOL! Perhaps we will get luckier tonight...