|
Well within the second half of 2008,
we are happy to bring you the next edition of the "Cheetah
Chat" news. The year has been a very busy one,
with plenty of new arrivals at the Centre; a sad loss
to our family; new friends in conservation; and an exciting
new outreach initiative.
Happy reading!
The HESC Family
It was with great sadness that we bade
farewell to a very old friend and a loyal employee.
Anastasia Khambula worked with us since March 1991.
Anastasia was a very special member of our family, and
she will be sorely missed. In honour of her, we have
named one of our new cubs Anastasia.
Lente Roode paid a visit to one of our enthusiastic
supporters - Bambolini nursery school - with Anastasia.
Lente Roode with Anastasia and the children of Bambolini
Nursery School
After 15 years of loyal service to the HESC, we bid
a fond farewell to Chrisna Steenkamp. She leaves us
to be closer to her family in Pretoria. We wish her
much luck, and express our gratitude for her commitment
to the Centre.
Koos, our resident African Grey, will no doubt miss
her tremendously after her loving care and attention!
Chrisna Steenkamp with Koos and Lente Roode
As one of Southern Africa's leading incoming
tour operators, Thompsons' Africa
understands the importance of conserving and cherishing
our natural resources.
The HESC is delighted that Thompsons has pledged their
support of the Centre and its work by spearheading the
GOLD Adoption Programme.
Read
more about this exciting new initiative.
Ilanga Travel in Cape
Town also recently adopted a cheetah - aptly named "Little
Ilanga". Seen here with Anedore Kessler, owner
of Ilanga Travel, "Little Ilanga" will be
nourished and cared for over the next year thanks to
Ilanga Travel's sponsorship.
Anedore Kessler with "Little Ilanga" -
image courtesy of Dave Smith
Read
more about our cheetah adoption programme.
The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre is delighted
to announce the arrival of another 18 healthy cheetah
cubs over the last 4 months. What makes one of the litter's
arrivals different is that one of the tiny cubs born
is the very rare King Cheetah.
Born to mother Tinga and father Tom, the litter was
born on the evening of Sunday the 6th April.
Father Tom is a King Cheetah. What makes this cheetah
unique is the pattern on their coats. While normal cheetahs
have markings that are round or oval black spots measuring
.75 to 1.5 inches in diameter, the King Cheetah has
a more distinctive "blotchy" coat as a result
of recessive genes which are inherited from both parents.
Cheetahs exhibiting this rare mutation were once thought
to be a separate subspecies.
The King Cheetahs at the HESC are of two bloodlines
- one originating from Alldays and the other from Hoedspruit.
These bloodlines have been diminishing - but this new
arrival has seen the renewed vitality of the Alldays
bloodline. We are optimistic that the near future will
see the arrival of a new generation of the Hoedspruit
bloodline too.
Another litter was born to a remarkable 'mom' who had
a broken leg at the time of their arrival! Sheila is
coping well, and her youngsters are healthy and very
lively.
Tinga with her new cubs, including the rare King
Cheetah
Cheetahs
It has been a good year for breeding. Twenty two cubs
have been born from 9 pregnancies. Of these, 18 have
survived.
The cheetah enclosures have been cleared of encroaching
bush and the tall grass has been cut. This makes for
excellent viewing and the cheetahs are, we are sure,
much happier because they are able to see for long distances.
The enclosures are placed on sloping ground so that
the animals can look down into the valley in the distance.
We will be undertaking fertility tests on our cheetah
males soon to be sure that our choice of males for the
breeding programme is optimal. We have planned to commence
the breeding programme before the end of the year to
attempt to get the females that have not taken part
so far this year to accept a male.
We have a king cheetah female on a breeding "loan"
and hope that we will be able to get her pregnant soon.
Wild dog
We have established 3 separate packs of wild dogs each
with a single male. This makes it possible to keep track
of the parents of pups that are born each year between
May & June. If a pack of wild dog has several males,
the antecedence of the off spring will be in doubt as
observations have indicated that lower order males may
cover a female in oestrus if the dominant male is preoccupied.
Antelope species
Our sable family is growing. Last year's male calf was
taken to an adjoining enclosure as his father was showing
signs of rejecting him. Sable bulls are known to become
very aggressive and likely to kill their sub-adult calves
particularly when they are confined.
A heifer calf was born this year and it is believed
that the cow is pregnant once again.
Lions
Piet, our big black-maned lion, has produced 3 cubs
which are approaching sub-adulthood. He has decided,
it seems, to get rid of any developing competition in
his pride and has started attacking his son. The pride
has been moved to a new enclosure and the young male
is now on his own.
Research
Intensive research is taking place into the causes of
kidney failure in captive cheetahs. We are establishing
a laboratory capable of undertaking essential analyses
on site, as the time taken to get samples to the labs
at the University of Pretoria's Veterinary Faculty effects
some of the measurements made. Funding for the equipment
will be needed.
Read
more about the breeding programme at the HESC.
We are delighted to welcome Edward Webb to our research
team in an advisory capacity. He will be conducting
research into animal nutrition, and will be preparing
articles for the Agricultural Forum. We will share some
of his insights with our partners in due course.
His achievements over the course of his career are
admirable; including:
- BSc(Agric)(1988), BSc(Agric)(Hons) cum laude (1989),
MSc(Agric)cum laude (1992) and PhD(1994) from the University
of Pretoria.
- A number of awards for outstanding academic achievements
including the Standard Bank of South Africa merit award,
UP postgraduate and merit bursaries, NRF/FRD merit awards,
AM Bosman Gold medal, SA Society for Animal Science
merit award and SA Society of Animal Science bronze
medal.
- A research fellowship from the Flemish Ministry where
he completed a postdoctoral study at the University
of Ghent in Belgium and Nutreco in the Netherlands on
aspects of growth modelling and fatty acid synthesis.
Edward is now vice-president of the South African Society
for Animal Science and is a registered professional
Animal Scientist (SAAPAS). Edward is married to Elizabeth
Melanie Jooste and they have three daughters, Miné,
Jenette and Lelanie.
Watch this space!
Edward Webb
The HESC was well received at Indaba 2008. Attending
for the first time, we were thrilled at the amount of
interest in the cause of animal conservation among our
travel partners. The HESC offers daily tours of the
facility to visitors who enjoy close contact viewing
of the various endangered and vulnerable animal species
housed at the Centre.
Read
more about how the HESC welcomes in excess of 10000
visitors each year.
It was at Indaba that we launched our new (all-natural)
HESC brochure. Download
your copy now, or contact us to request your copy.
As part of the highly successful "Student's Programme",
the HESC has implemented an educational outreach programme
to children in the surrounding rural communities. Students
participating in the 3-week hands-on course will visit
communities and help to involve the younger generation
in the conservation of animals at the Centre, as well
as to assist with tasks that their communities may require.
In addition to this, the HESC will start a fund to enable
these children and their schools to purchase much needed
equipment to facilitate an easier learning process.
Learners at the HESC
We look forward to welcoming the first group of grade
4 children to the HESC with our Students on the 4th
August, and will post a follow up on their visit in
our next newsletter.
Read more
about the Student's Programme at the HESC, or download
a copy of the specialised brochure from our website.
For more information on the education programme at the
Centre, contact
Justine at education@cheetahcentre.co.za. For more
information on the Students Programme, contact
us students@cheetahcentre.co.za.
As a non-profit organisation, the HESC
is entirely dependent on the contributions of sponsors,
both individual and corporate.
 We
have very proudly partnered with Pick 'n Pay who have
actively supported the purpose of sustainable development
by getting involved in our conservation programme. Their
generosity and enthusiasm is invaluable. Special thanks
to Tessa Chamberlain and her team.
Heidi and Allen Roberts are the committed
and enthusiastic force behind the US Friends of the
Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (a non-profit charitable
organisation dedicated to the conservation of wildlife).
Their support and dedication towards making a better
and more secure environment for research and the breeding
of cheetahs (and a host of other animals) is so greatly
appreciated. It is only through the contribution of
those like Heidi and Allen that the HESC continues to
exist.
To date, Heidi and Allan have raised a staggering amount
for the HESC through various fundraising initiatives.
Charitable contributions to U.S. Friends of Hoedspruit
Endangered Species Centre, Inc are deductible for US
Income Tax purposes, to the extent allowed by the law.
Interested donors in the United States can contact
us for further information on how to get involved.
Read
more the Roberts' fundraising initiatives.
We would like to thank you for your time
in reading our newsletter, and wish you a happy and
peaceful year ahead.
Should we be able to help you in any way, please do
not hesitate to contact
us. We would also welcome any feedback or suggestions
on our electronic communications. Our aim is to present
something to you that is both a valuable resource, and
entertaining too.
The Team at The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre
www.hesc.co.za
|
