NamibRand Cheetahs – December 2009

NamibRand Cheetahs caught on camera!
A visitor to NamibRand sent pictures of the five boys on a kill site of a female springbok.

December 16: NamibRand female cheetah
I have very good news regarding our female’s latest movements. At some point between the evening of Dec. 7th and the afternoon of Dec. 10th she crossed back into the NamibRand Reserve and as of this morning is approximately 2 km inside the reserve boundary!

It appears that she may have used the same route that the boys once used to exit the reserve. I have included last week’s data alongside this week’s so that you can see both halves of the picture. She originally exited the reserve along the South-East boundary during early April 2009. I am very happy to see her back and hope she finds conditions to her liking this time and remains there.

December 15: I’m afraid that with the Christmas break upon us we have no field data for the past week, but the satellite data is pretty comprehensive. The boys are nowhere near the newly re-arrived female, but instead are remaining close to Park HQ.

December 23: NamibRand female WITH A CUB!
Christine and Lars of N/a’an ku sê have had a very good sighting of the female yesterday and have confirmed that she is with a 6-8 month old cub! Nils also found the five boys on a fresh oryx kill just over 1 km from her back on Dec. 17th (see map). Thanks also to Nils, the map now has a great deal more detail, with roads, waterholes and local features added.

She is remaining in the same area close to the mountains, and about 9 km NNE of Park HQ.

December 27: We’ve had some interesting field reports this week, with the boys successfully hunting a springbok and then attempting to hunt a pair of ostriches (see below).

December 23: 07:15 all 5 walking (L-K-C-M-R) towards WP, at 07:45 Lindt starts jogging and 1 minute later he starts running towards springboks, the others following, the first 2 males get an adult springbok and pull it down, all 5 feeding on it; 08:45 first 2 males get up, all 5 grooming to clean the face and lay down again

December 24: 09:40 all 5 lying under Boscia tree, then 3 ostriches walking by and all 5 get up and stare at them, Mushara decides to run for them, all 5 hunt male ostrich which escapes, only Mushara follows the other change to female ostrich, Mushara also joins, they reach female ostrich but are not able to pull it down, so they give up.

20:00 Keerweder waterhole; one of the cheetahs apparently intended to scent-mark at the Keerweder guesthouse and showed aggression? (raised hackles) when it observed humans there; instead it scent-marked at the dead tree at the waterhole.