SA helps Malawi cheetah project
Eastern Cape supplies two of four for restocking plan
FOUR cheetahs, including two from Eastern Cape reserves, have been relocated to the Liwonde National Park in Malawi. The project is being hailed as a conservation milestone for Malawi, where the last freeranging cheetahs disappeared 20 years ago, and for the Liwonde area south of Lake Malawi – once famous for its teeming game – where they were shot out more than a century ago.
With just 6 000 to 7 000 cheetahs left in Africa and the species wiped out from 90% of its historic range, it is also a broader conservation triumph.
It helps spread the gene pool and avoids weakening the species with inter-breeding, according to the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), which is part of the relocation team.
The four cheetahs relocated a fortnight ago to Malawi were from four South African reserves – Phinda in KwaZulu-Natal, Welgevonden in Limpopo and the Amakhala Game Reserve and Mountain Zebra National Park (MZNP) in the Eastern Cape.
Mark Palmer, manager of the Amakhala Game Reserve between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown, said yesterday he was thrilled to be part of the project, which was spearheaded by Africa Parks in conjunction with the EWT and Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife.
“Cheetahs are one of our conservation priorities and this project is part of our involvement with EWT’s cheetah metapopulation programme, which is looking to keep the genes flowing and artificially bring together animals which are now separated by roads, fences etcetera,” he said.
“We have six of our own cheetahs and don’t have space for dozens more. We also don’t want offspring interbreeding, so when we relocate them it helps us too.
“On this occasion one of our females has gone to Malawi and the rest of her group have gone to Kuzuko [the northern section of the Addo Elephant National Park].”
One of the threats to cheetahs is conflict with lions, but Amakhala’s cheetahs are “lion-savvy” having grown up with them.
So the planned introduction of lions and other big predators there should not be a problem, he said.
Amakhala co-owner and wildlife vet Dr William Fowlds said this habituation to big predators and parasites like ticks was making Eastern Cape cheetahs hot property for the EWT programme.
“Most of Africa’s cheetahs are in Namibia, but we have a much higher degree of monitoring, which makes capturing easier,” he said.
MZNP senior section ranger Greg Bond said his park had donated one female for the Liwonde relocation, with the remaining members of her group going to reserves in Limpopo and the Western Cape as well as to the Addo park.
He said he was confident their animal would adapt to conditions in Liwonde.
“Our winters are colder than they will be there, but cheetahs are pretty resilient and we have seen this when specimens have been relocated to us from elsewhere,” he said.
“Even if the prey are a bit different from what they are used to they will rely on instinct to pick out the right ones.”
EWT spokeswoman Belinda Glenn said the 2015 appointment of African Parks and work done there had paved the way for the relocation.
The new Liwonde team had constructed a reliable perimeter fence, removed thousands of snares, significantly reduced poaching, and was working with local communities to ensure the long-term success of conservation in the area, she said.