Samara Private Game Reserve has always made cheetah conservation a priority. Sibella is usually the cheetah making our headlines, but now we have two males to share the limelight. These two beautiful young males, of about 2 and half years, were lucky enough to find themselves at Samara. Placed in a large enclosure initially, we slowly gained their trust, first in a vehicle and later on foot, getting them used to the sounds of the vehicles. The intention was never to tame them, but rather to get them comfortable with seeing people, so we could follow their progress once they were released onto the reserve.
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Sarah Tompkins, donated a prize to the fund-raising auction held by
Women for Women, a UK charity which assists women in third world countries. This prize was
accommodation at Samara and releasing the two male cheetahs. Kirsten Poler was the successful bidder and brought her friend Kate Collins to the release. She commented to other guests from Karoo Lodge who also witnessed the even “That was an amazing experience”.
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On the day of the release, the two young males appeared slightly flustered at the sudden appearance of a sizable crowd around the enclosure that had been their home for the last few months during the habituation process. After the initial shock of all the visitors they settled down quickly and remained remarkably calm as Kirsten and Kate approached to open the enclosure gate, testament to how comfortable these two remarkable creatures are now with the presence of people. We then sat patiently as the males assessed the situation and finally the larger of the two males made the first move, stretching extravagantly before cautiously setting off towards the open gate. His brother soon joined him and together they edged their way towards freedom, tentatively taking their first steps on Samara soil as wild and free cheetahs. We have since found these cheetahs in the southern sections of the reserve on a juvenile kudu kill, looking well and content.
There are under 900 cheetahs left in the wild in South Africa. These creatures are highly threatened and on the IUCN’s “vulnerable” species list.
(Images from Samara - All rights reserved)
About Samara Private Game Reserve
Samara Private Game Reserve in Graaff-Reinet, in the Groot Karoo, offers prestigious, luxurious South African safari accommodation in an unspoiled corner of the Eastern Cape.
Fine dining, on-site spa facilities and game drives are all available.
