Mission Report by: Cole du Plessis, Manager of the EWT’s Carnivore Range Expansion Project.
Mission Date: 13 + 15 December 2023
EWT Cheetah Relocation Missions: Relocate two female Cheetah from a predator holding facility in Nelspruit to Liwonde National Park (Malawi) and return to the same predator holding facility in Nelspruit with a coalition of three male Cheetahs.
The Mission Report:
The first phase of this mission was to relocate two female Cheetah from a predator holding facility in Nelspruit to Liwonde National Park (Malawi). The Cheetahs were donated by Tswalu Game Reserve and Manyoni Game Reserve. The primary motive for this mission was for genetic supplementation. Liwonde National Park first introduced Cheetah in 2017 and they have gone on to thrive but much of this population have grown from a select number of females and there was increasing risk of inbreeding. In our managed metapopulation approach, we need to grow safe space and population numbers but this is only valuable for the species if we can grow a genetically healthy population. To date, the females have settled into their new homes and we hope to see some cubs soon.
The second phase of the mission was to relocate a male coalition back to South Africa. This mission was a success and the males arrived safely. This was a benchmark moment for our Cheetah Range Expansion Project – it was the first-time bringing Cheetahs back to South Africa.
