We would like to wish you a wonderful 2009. We hope your year has gotten off to a good start. Ours certainly has! Healthy animals, Generous donors and Good rainfall are all promising signs that this year will be one for the books.

This edition of Cheetah Chat is packed with news, projects on the go, some exciting events that are on the cards, and a review of the new arrivals at the HESC.

We also had the great privilege of recently welcoming Princess Michael of Kent (pictured right) to the H.E.S.C. She is the patron of the Centre, and spent a few days wtih Lente and Adine Roode to discuss possible fundraising activities. She also enjoyed interacting with the Camp Jabulani elephants during her stay. It is always a great honor to welcome such a devoted member of the conservation community. And one who has done so much to help us.

Conserving, Cherishing and Protecting ….

The H.E.S.C. Family

Some Heartfelt Thank-Yous.

We have some very special folks to thank.

McCarthy Toyota (Lynwood) has very kindly sponsored a Toyota Avanza to the HESC for a year. They have alleviated a huge burden from our shoulders, and for this we are eternally grateful.  Thank you to Charl Blaauw and his team.

Bambolini Nursery School has yet again amazed us with their commitment to the cause. Seen here with Lente Roode are Elsabie Joubert and her very young charges at Bambolini Nursery School. They raised R49,443.95. Together they raised funds by way of a father & son campout; a “Hat Day” – making hats and selling them; Saving incentives for the kids; Selling photographs of the cheetahs and arranging a “Ladies Day” for the moms and gals. Well done to all of these young conservationists! And thank you to Elsabie and her team for their continuous support, and for setting such a good example to the children of Bambolini Nursery School.

Our Junior Heroes

We also have some very special international supporters...

Anrich is a determined young man of 10 ... He visited the HESC during the July school holidays earlier this year, and decided that he wanted to adopt a cheetah. His grandmother pledged that she would donate R150.00 for every school subject in which he achieved over 85%. On Saturday the 8th November 2008, Anrich realised his goal. He earned sterling results, and has managed to now get his Junior Adoption certificate. He has also pledged that he will over the next few years raise enough to be able to fully and exclusively adopt a cheetah for a full year. We believe that he will do it!

Well done Anrich!

An amazing group of 6 Dutch children (aged between 10 and 3) single-handedly raised € 305,21 by making goods that they could sell to their community. They printed flyers for their cause, and set up a stand to communicate what they were doing. Their goal was to adopt a cheetah, but their hardwork and dedication meant that they raised enough to adopt two!

A Special Visitor

Another special visitor to the Centre was Darren van Namen. Sponsored by the Reach for a Dream Organisation in Holland, his wish was to bond and make contact with a cheetah. He is wheelchair-bound, and suffering from MS. Darren visited us in August 2008, and had his dream come true. What a special moment.

Projects on the Go at the H.E.S.C

During the course of 2008, we released 3 cheetahs (2 males and a female) onto a neighbouring farm called HONGONY.  The three thrived, and the female, Rali, gave birth to two cubs. Rali unfortunately fell ill, and was brought back to the HESC for rehabilitation. Despite every effort, she was simply too ill, and she did not make it. Another female cheetah will be released in her place, and we are confident that she will do well in her new environment.

Rali’s cubs have certainly had an eventful time! One of them jumped from the upper branches of a tree, and ended up injuring its leg. We patched it up, and the youngster is now on its way through a speedy recovery.
We will keep you posted as to the developments relating to this group of cheetah on HONGONY.

PROFESSOR MELTZER is busy at work at the HESC. He is working on analyzing the cheetahs' sperm counts for the cheetah breeding programme. The project, thus far, has been a huge success and Prof Meltzer is very satisfied with the outcomes, thus putting Lente Roode and her team in a position to choose the most fertile males for breeding purposes. We look forward to a successful breeding year ahead. To read more about the breeding programme at the HESC, click here.

An AFRICAN WILDCAT AND A SERVAL from the H.E.S.C were both successfully released into the bush surrounding Camp Jabulani.  They have been sighted during game drives, and appear to be adapting well to their new open environment.

What's been happening with the animals at the H.E.S.C?

We have welcomed two new Blue Crane chicks. They will be hand-reared in lieu of their very sensitive constitutions, and their vulnerability to meerkats and other bird species. They need a very specific diet and have stringent physical care requirements. They are both doing very well.

Pictured here are Heidi the Sheep and Streepie the Zebra – the firmest of friends. The two are so inseparable, in fact, that Streepie will not allow any of our staff near Heidi to give her a well deserved sheer. Sheeps are usually the protective ones – and are known for their ability to surrogate mother orphaned baby animals. Streepie and Heidi spend their lazy days in one another’s company, quite content with their worlds.

The two ADI [Animal Defenders International] lions confiscated from a Portuguese travelling zoo, Ceasar and Sarah, are doing very well. They have been with us for over a year now, and are settling nicely. After a bit of an altercation though, Sarah gave Ceasar a fairly nasty swipe behind his ear. We had to do a bit of doctor work to clean the wound, as Caesar could not get to the tricky spot himself. The procedure went well, and Caesar is recovering nicely.

We have also inherited some white lions from Thornybush reserve. For some reason, these poor creatures were mercilessly preyed on by flies, and ended up with raw wounds which would simply not heal. There is no obvious reason for this unfortunate torment inflicted on the lions, but the cats seem to be faring well with us. We will watch their progress carefully, and hope to send them back to their homeland in the not-too-distant future.

A very strange sighting was that of a Marabou stork with a flock of vultures which descended one day via their fascinating spiral corridor from the sky – feeding ferociously in the Vulture Restaurant. This is highly uncharacteristic behaviour indeed!

A Fond farewell.

We would like to wish Claudia Andrione a fond farewell, as she will be leaving the HESC shortly. Claudia has elected to further her studies in the field of veterinary science. We wish her all the very best for her future, and are confident that she will make a very fine veterinary nurse. We hope she will choose to work with the H.E.S.C again when she has qualified. Thank you Claudia for your loyal, passionate and committed service.

If there is something you would like to see in forthcoming editions of Cheetah Chat, please let us know. We welcome your feedback.

In the spirit of conservation and respect of our planet and its inhabitants

The Team at The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre

www.hesc.co.za