Monday was a great day for the Thanda Cheetah population as a new female was released onto the reserve. The three year old cat was born at Mountain Zebra National Park and came to Thanda via the Hoedspruit Endangered Wildlife Center. Faye Peters and Phillip Lennon from the popular South African TV program 50/50 documented the event. The Thanda wildlife team (led by Mariana Venter) with the help of specialists from Wildlife ACT (led by Michelle Swemmer and Dr Simon Morgan) worked for seven hours to convince the young lady to leave her boma (A boma is an enclosure in which animals are normally kept at full board from the time of arrival at Thanda to their release onto the reserve). The Thanda wildlife team and researchers will be monitoring the animal for the next few months to see how she does in her new home.
Help the Wildlife ACT Fund with their Cheetah conservation projects by donating here: GivenGain
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Her first steps out of the boma - photo courtesy Christian Sperka[/caption][caption id="attachment_2364" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Mariana Venter (Thanda Private Game Reserve) explains to the 50/50 team the use of bait. - photo courtesy Christian Sperka[/caption][caption id="attachment_2365" align="aligncenter" width="426"]
Dr Simon Morgan (WildlifeACTFund) trying to spot the cat in the boma. - photo courtesy Christian Sperka[/caption][caption id="attachment_2367" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Still in the boma. - photo courtesy Christian Sperka[/caption][caption id="attachment_2368" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
A portrait of the lady! - photo courtesy Christian Sperka[/caption][caption id="attachment_2369" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Photo courtesy Christian Sperka[/caption]
Christian Sperka | Specialist Photographic Guide | Thanda Private Game Reserve
To view more of Christian Sperka's spectacular wildlife images, visit his website: http://www.sperka.com
