What Is Rewilding And Why Does It Matter?

Rewilding is a form of ecological restoration that aims to let nature care for itself without human intervention. Usually, the process involves reintroducing dangered species, like cheetahs, and restoring natural processes. At the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), we understand how important this process is, and that’s why one of the core parts of our work is rewilding cheetahs to the wild. 

What Is An Example Of Rewildling?

There are different ways to rewild projects. For example, you can reduce high populations of grazing animals, connect habitats, provide wildlife bridges, and bring endangered species back to the wild—that is exactly what CCF does with cheetahs. During a long-term study, we have released 650 cheetahs back into the wild and radio-tracked nearly 100 cheetahs, providing the data to inspire range-wide management plans.

How the CCF Rewildling Programme Works?

CCF is at the forefront of the rewilding movement in Namibia. Practitioners like CCF engage in a multitude of activities, including reintroducing native species, protecting watersheds, and restoring wildlands to their natural state. With our programme, we rescue cheetahs, bring them to our centre, and evaluate the ones that can be released back into the wild. The process is long and requires a lot of training, veterinary care, and studies from our team.  But the work goes beyond releasing the cheetahs, we also have other projects that are part of our rewilding programme, such as the CCF’s Bush Project. 

“Nature is wounded, and rewilding is the most effective action we can take to help nature heal. Rewilding helps keep climate change under control by removing carbon from the atmosphere, making the planet a healthier place to live”, said Dr Laurie Marker, Founder and Executive Director of CCF.

Meet Hela: A Rewilding Sucess Story

In 2018, Hela arrived at CCF, as an orphaned cub, along with her brothers Thor and Loki.  Due to their age and other factors, these cubs were potential candidates for rewilding, so long as they maintained their wild behaviours and aversion to humans.

The cubs were placed into our rehabilitation enclosures, where human interactions were kept to a minimum. Initially, they were housed with a few other orphaned cheetahs. As they reached adolescence, they were separated into male and female groups, with Hela being paired with Adina, while the males joined three others.

After two years of monitoring and assessment in our rehabilitation area, Hela was released back into the wild. In July 2020, Adina and Hela underwent anaesthesia for a health check, which included weighing, measuring, collecting blood and faecal samples, and fitting satellite collars. They were then transferred to Erindi Private Game Reserve, placed in a pre-release enclosure, monitored, and released a few months later.

Hela excelled in her rehabilitation, becoming a proficient hunter. She regularly hunted prey and required no post-release assistance. In 2022, she was brought back to our centre as a candidate for the reintroduction programme in India. However, it was at this point we discovered that Hela was pregnant, and she subsequently gave birth to four cubs. Since their birth, our team in Namibia has been closely monitoring and caring for them.

After a few months, we re-introduced Hela and her cubs to Erindi Private Game Reserve. Two years later, we decided to fit tracking collars to Hela’s cubs to monitor them, ensure their safety and provide the necessary care. Hela’s journey from orphaned cheetah cub to wild mother gives hope to all wild cheetahs.

This rewilding programme and the research behind it have created a model for global conservation that can be used by other cheetah conservation organisations. By successfully reintroducing cheetahs to the wild, CCF demonstrates how science, community involvement and habitat protection come together to help save an endangered species.

How Can You Help?

Your support will play a vital role in ensuring the survival of wild cheetahs—that’s why we decided to do our first Rewilding Campaign of 2025. Any small amount donated will be doubled by our good friends at the Wildlife Foundation. The Wildlife Foundation will match all donations up to a total value of £10,000. Donate today and help us keep cheetahs in the wild.

If you can’t donate today, that’s okay. You can help us by sharing this campaign with your friends, family, and community. Here is the link to the campaign.

Together, we can make the difference.