Cheetah cubs still a possibility for Rietvlei female
He will spend a few months in Rietvlei before going to India.
A six-year-old male cheetah from Mount Camdeboo private game reserve in the Eastern Cape will soon be relocated to Rietvlei nature reserve to join the female cheetah, Njozi.
The same procedure will be followed as to when a cheetah is relocated, where the male will, for the first week, go into a boma whereafter, he will be released into the greater reserve.
According to Endangered Wildlife Trust conservation biologist Vincent van der Merwe, the male will spend a few months in Rietvlei before going to India as part of a reintroduction programme of cheetahs.
“We are sure to relocate the male to Rietvlei soon,” Van der Merwe said.
“He has a great reproductive record. Wherever we have sent him, he has impregnated quite a few of the female cheetahs.
“The birthing season for cheetahs is March and September which means that the mating season takes place three months prior to that in December and mid-winter in June/July.
“Let us see how it unfolds,” he said.
Njozi was relocated to Rietvlei from the Western Cape in August 2020, where she was kept in a boma for a month before she was released into the reserve.
The cheetah is a remarkably adaptable species with the ability to acclimatise to new environments with different climatic variables, prey densities and varieties as well as a diverse array of competing predators.
“Wildlife reintroduction is a roller-coaster ride with highs and lows.
“Regardless, cheetah conservation had benefited from the initial reintroduction attempt,” added Van der Merwe.
He said that Rietvlei is referred to as a soft reserve for cheetah.
“Soft reserves have low densities of competing predators including leopard, hyena and wild dog.
“At this time, Rietvlei does not have any competing predators at all,” the biologist said.
Earlier this year, the battery of the collar around Njozi’s neck, ran low.
It created a huge headache for conservationists to track her down as they believed that she might have escaped from the reserve. Fortunately that was not the case.
“Collars used on any carnivores have a relatively high failure rate.
“Between 15 and 25% of your collars will fail when you deploy them. It is just as good as technology is at this point in time,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the collar we put on Njozi failed. There is still a collar around her neck, but it is not working currently.
“We will put a collar on the new male and will test it before he is released.
“To prevent drama or trouble, we are fitting a collar that has a radio as well as a satellite component. If one or the other breaks down, we have options to track the cheetah,” Van der Merwe said.
Meanwhile, there is a possibility that lions would return to Rietvlei soon, according to Tshwane environment and agriculture management MMC Dana Wannenburg.
“A separate camp is set to be established to accommodate the newcomers. We are still awaiting the necessary permits to relocate between four or five lions,” he said.
Wannenburg said that the lions would not roam the greater-area of Rietvlei, but can be seen in the enclosed camp.
“The metro is also planning to bring in more wild into the reserve soon,” he said.
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