I have been fortunate to have seen many different animals in the wild, or in ethical preservation projects. When asked to name my favourite I am always torn between elephants and the various big cats. Usually my answer is whichever I have seen most recently, as it’s impossible for me to choose!
Some years ago we stayed at Okonjima Lodge in Namibia. I featured our visit in an earlier post about memorable places where we have stayed, Wherever I lay my hat.
As I explained there, the lodge is partnered with the Africat Foundation, and now I want to share more about the work of the foundation and the beautiful animals it helps.
The story of Africat
The foundation was formed by Wayne Hanssen who grew up at Okonjima when it was his parents’ farm. He, like the rest of his family, realised that the accepted practice of mitigating farming losses by trapping, shooting and hunting cheetahs and leopards made little impact. Losses of 20 to 30 cows per year decimated their herds and caused huge financial losses; a situation that impacted smaller, traditional farmers even more. As the website explains,
Observing this cycle, the decimation, the death, the losses, the degradation of the land, the consistent grind of farming life, and the horrendous destruction of the large carnivores, Wayne committed to do better.
To rethink. To restore. To walk in tandem with the land and with wildlife rather than dominate. To find a permanent solution for the farmers AND for the carnivores.
So the Hanssens switched their focus from farming to the creation of a large private nature reserve. Their goal was to restore the land to what it once looked like, before farming methods destroyed it; and to protect the cheetahs and leopards.
Africat today
Africat today is well-established non-profit organisation devoted to the conservation of cheetahs and leopards: rescuing animals that have been trapped by local farmers; providing humane housing, treatment and care for orphaned and injured animals; educating visitors and local people, especially farmers and school-children, about the animals they protect.
They provide a home and care for animals that cannot at present be released back into the wild, often orphaned cubs that are too young to cope on their own. These have either been captured without their mothers or their mothers have been killed.
Most of the cheetahs and leopards that have suffered injuries are returned to the wild after recuperation; but in cases where the injuries have been too extensive, the cats have had to remain in captivity. There are also some animals that have been in captivity elsewhere and have become habituated to people or completely tame, making them unsuitable for release. Those that have to remain at the foundation for these reasons are housed in spacious enclosures of around five hundred acres in a natural, stress-free environment.
Okonjima
By staying at Okonjima you are supporting the work of Africat. So of course everyone who stays here is taken to see the cats. On our visit we went first to see the clinic and food preparation area. We then went into the cheetahs’ huge enclosure in jeeps which were delivering their food (very large and bloody joints of game!) I’d imagined that we’d be lucky to spot a few cheetahs in the distance but that wasn’t the case at all.
The rangers can identify roughly whereabouts in the enclosure the cheetahs currently are, as they are all radio-collared. And once the jeeps are close to them there is no need to search further. They have learned to associate the noise of the vehicles with food and soon came running towards us. It was a fantastic experience to see how fast and how beautifully they run, and then to be able to watch them from such a close distance – at times only a metre from the jeep.
I am sharing these wonderful spotted creatures for Ann-Christine’s Lens-Artist Challenge theme of Spots and Dots. The word cheetah comes from the Sanskrit word, chitraka, which means ‘spotted one’, so what could be more appropriate?
I visited Namibia in 2004
23 Comments
Amy
Amazing images of these animals. What an adventure, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Amy, it was wonderful to see them so close!
JohnRH
What a beautiful animal. Kudos to the conservation efforts.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, like all the big cats (imho) these cheetahs are very beautiful 🙂 Thanks for visiting John.
restlessjo
They are the most beautiful creatures, Sarah! A privilege to see them like this and contribute to their preservation. Just fabulous photos! 🙂 🙂
Toonsarah
Thank you Jo 😊 The photos are pretty ancient so I’m glad you liked them so much!
starship VT
You’re so lucky to have seen these incredible animals close up and get such wonderful photos, Sarah! Love that you’re featuring a place that does such important work with these beautiful animals. It is so heartwarming and wonderful to know that these people care! You really have had some of the most wonderful travel experiences in your life!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sylvia – the animals are indeed beautiful and I’m glad that shows even those these photos are old and (some of them) not especially good scans 😉
Pat
This was really interesting, Sarah. I have been going through old travel photos and thinking about posting some of them. My problem is that I find writing exhausting – I think from mental strain of the past 5 years here in the U.S. I love writing so I hope my mind heals quickly.
Sarah Wilkie
I hope so too Pat. I find sometimes even if I don’t feel in the mood to write I make a start and then it seems to flow 🙂 And I hope things are improving for you over there?
Leya
Wonderful post and how great an opportunity to visit and see these beautiful animals up close! Excellent work they are doing. Thank you for taking us – I had never heard of this organisation before.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Ann-Christine – I’m happy to have introduced some more people to this excellent organisation 🙂
Leya
♥
thehungrytravellers.blog
Beautiful animals and amazing to be so close to them. So far we have only seen lions in the wild, would love to see more of the big cats one day
Sarah Wilkie
I love lions too and like you have been fortunate to see them in the wild 😍 Also tigers, albeit much briefer sightings 🐯
wetanddustyroads
Such a beautiful animal! And yes, as mentioned in the comments, you were really fortunate to see them from such a close range – must have been a wonderful experience.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Corna – yes, it was indeed a wonderful experience!!
sustainabilitea
What a wonderful place, Sarah, and you’re fortunate to have stayed there and seen their work. Thanks for sharing the story as well as the cheetah photos. I do love cheetahs. 🙂
janet
Sarah Wilkie
This is a perfect place for any cheetah (or all big cats) lover to visit/stay 🙂 Thanks for stopping by Janet!
margaret21
Oh, what a wonderful experience, and what a great cause to support too.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Margaret, it was indeed. I love it when you can stay in a beautiful place with a touch of luxury and feel good about how your money is being spent 🙂
Tina Schell
I’d not heard of this organization and love the work they’re doing. Thanks for sharing it along with your amazing images Sarah. what a joy it must have been to be up close and personal with them!
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, they’re doing excellent work, balancing conservation and tourism to the benefit of the animals AND the local people 🙂 Thanks for the kind words about the photos – they’re rather old and some are scans from prints so could be clearer!