Cheetah, Namibia

Day 11: Namibia

Another early start for a cheetah safari. It is illegal to keep cheetahs captive in Namibia unless they cannot be returned to the wild. In Solitaire, they have a mother and 6 ‘babies’ who cannot be returned to the wild. The cheetahs we saw this morning llive in on a game reserve where the people try to make life as normal as possible for them. They are fed irregularly, as they would be in the wild, and have to chase a white vehicle to get the food, giving the cheetahs the exercise they need as well as encouraging them to run for their food. No other human contact is allowed. The vet regularly visits to observe them from a distance. We had 45 mins observing them today, with no barriers between them and us!
Thrilling, frightening and wonderful all at the same time. The extras show more cheetah photos.

Namibia has the highest concentration of cheetahs in the wild and the conservation work they do here is wonderful.