After a long absence, cheetah are once again roaming their old stomping ground on the plains of the Camdeboo in the Karoo. It is an evocative sight, made unforgettable by walking with them at ground level.
The rolling plains of the Camdeboo once teemed with herds of wildlife so vast you couldn’t count them. These included wildebeest, buffalo, springbok and zebra. Cheetah were also abundant. Large scale hunting decimated the herds and the cheetah were targeted by sheep and goat farmers who feared stock losses. Fast forward 125 years, and the cheetah are back on their home ranges in the Karoo.
Samara Private Game Reserve led the way by introducing cheetah to their expansive 28,000 hectare property. A particularly successful cheetah, Sibella, was the first cheetah to return to the Karoo. She is also solely responsible for producing about 2% of the entire cheetah population of South Africa. Sibella is radio collared and we recently spent time tracking her.
Ranger Shakemore “Shakes” Manzinde leads the search, and slips in behind the wheel of a Land Cruiser, placing the delicate telemetry equipment behind his seat. It is late morning as we head out in the direction Sibella was last seen yesterday. Shakes is looking for tracks and using telemetry to increase our chances of finding the lithe cat.
Every half an hour or so, Shakes stops the vehicle and holds up his telemetry aerial while listening on the receiver. There is nothing but crackle and static, which means Sibella is out of range and the signal from her collar is not being received. “There is no sign of her here,” says Shakes with pursed lips, “so let’s head to the river where there are trees and shade. It’s hot and she may be resting there.”
A few hours have already passed as we drive on across the vast plains, stopping en route to view the great variety of wildlife that lives on Samara. Only animals endemic to the area have been reintroduced, including mountain zebra that live in the high mountains encircling the plains. Kudu, blesbok, gemsbok, steenbok and giraffe are all there, but today our focus is on cheetah and finding Sibella.
“We know for sure she is on the reserve,” smiles Shakes, “but just where, is the question.” He stops again and jumps onto the vehicle’s bonnet to get extra height for his telemetry. The radio receiver is pressed to his ear, but he is still only hearing static. “Nothing,” he says, “but we’re not giving up yet.” Then he adds: “I think I am just going to follow my gut now.”
The reality is that even if we pick up Sibella’s signal, she may be in an inaccessible area. Finding her is one thing, being able to see her is another. We’re optimistic, though, and the day is heating up, which counts in our favour as Sibella may rest in the heat of the day and not move around much.
Shakes is now driving close to the Milk River that runs through Samara. “I feel in my bones she is close by,” he says. A few hundred metres on, there is the faint beep of a signal. Then the radio receiver goes crazy with beeps.
“She’s close and probably watching us,” says Shakes, stopping the vehicle. “Let’s go on foot. She’s somewhere in these trees for sure. Follow me closely and walk quietly,” he instructs. “No sudden movements, please.” I mirror Shakes’ footsteps. “We have to find her by sight now,” he whispers, “and her camouflage is excellent.”
Shakes spots Sibella when there are just 10 metres between us. Her dappled coat completely camouflages her in the shade of an Acacia tree. Sibella watches us intently, and as we move back so as not to encroach, she shifts her gaze and ignores us. It’s a completely different experience being at ground level with a cheetah. Your senses are sharper and there is a sense of connection with the animal not felt when atop a game viewing vehicle.
Suddenly Sibella is on her feet and we follow behind at a safe distance. She’s walking slowly because it’s so hot, so we are pleased we can keep up with her. Following the river bank, we walk in silent wonder. Every so often Sibella stops, looks around, sniffs the air and continues. She’s conserving energy to hunt, as she’s hungry and ready for dinner. We walk a while behind her, and then fall back to let her hunt in peace. In an instant she disappears into the cover of trees. It took nearly three hours to find
her, but the minutes spent on the ground watching and walking with Sibella symbolise a new era of conservation in the Karoo. Cheetah are back where they belong, living in peace on the plains of the Camdeboo. Just as the land has been returned to the wild, so, too, have these magnificent cats.
her, but the minutes spent on the ground watching and walking with Sibella symbolise a new era of conservation in the Karoo. Cheetah are back where they belong, living in peace on the plains of the Camdeboo. Just as the land has been returned to the wild, so, too, have these magnificent cats.
**Visit www.samara.co.za for more information.**
Text & Images © Keri Harvey
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