CHEETAH OUTREACHD e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 N e w s l e t t e r

S E E I T . S E N S E I T . S A V E I T .

website: www.cheetah.co.za - e-mail: cheetah@intekom.co.za - tel: 27 21 881 3242

After APRIL 2012You can visit us at our new facility:

N2

R44Broadway Ave

To Cape Town

Somerset Mall

Paardevlei

De Beers Ave

To Strand Beach

Ou Paardevlei R

oad

Vodacom Golf Village

PaardevleiDe Beers Ave

Somerset West(opposite the

Somerset Mall)Visit our website for regular updates on the status of our

move.

www.cheetah.co.za

WE ARE RELOCATINGWE ARE RELOCATING

website: www.cheetah.co.za - e-mail: cheetah@intekom.co.za - tel: 27 21 881 3242

A WORKING ANATOLIAN IS WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD

Cyril Stannard, our Anatolian Project Coordinator has implemented a very imported snake aversion training session with working Anatolian Shelpherd dogs in the veldt. Deadly snake bites rate as one of the highest reasons for death of working Anatolian Shepherd Guard Dogs.

His team consisting of 2 snake handlers from the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria and a professional dog trainer, carefully laid out their training plans and tried to prepare for any challenge that might arise during the week long training sessions. All their planning soon flew out of the window, as every dog and every farm were so different and their approaches were therefore also different. The team quickly adapted to their new challenges and were able to train five of the older dogs. During the dogs retest session, Cyril could happily report that all the dogs showed immediate aversion to the slightest snake scent. These dogs will be visited in a years’ time to do follow up training.

SNAKE AVERSION TRAINING

A short story about Aslan 2, he was placed on a farm in the Limpopo province as a replacement for Aslan. He started off well but when he got to one of the critical stages the farmer neglected his duties. The owner asked us to remove Aslan 2 due to behav-ioural problems; these problems stemming from the uncoopera-tive farmer. We decided to give Aslan 2 a second chance and placed him on a farm where a second dog was greatly needed. This farmer is an attentive and very dedicated participant in our programme; from the minute Aslan 2 arrived on the farm he got the correct attention and guidance from the farmer. The end result of a farmer willing to do his part is a hard working guardian who greatly contributes to the financial success of the farm. The new owner is full of praise for Aslan 2 and cannot understand how the previous owner could let such a great dog go.

Black Mamba

Our training tools

Boomslang

Cape Cobra

Puff Adder

welcome to the family

website: www.cheetah.co.za - e-mail: cheetah@intekom.co.za - tel: 27 21 881 3242

A pair of bat-eared foxes have joined our family.

Brad and Janet joined us when they were 3 ½ months old. Brad was born at Bester Birds and Animals Zoo in Johannesburg on 12 October, 2010 and Janet was born at Lory Park Animal Sanctuary near Johannesburg on 10 October, 2010. Both were hand-reared, and brought together at 2 ½ months of age and integrated as a pair. As ambassadors for their species, they raise awareness of the plight of bat-eared foxes and other small predators on South African farmland and highlight the importance of the Anatolian Guarding Dog Programme, which results in removal of traps and poison on South African farms.

Baggins gets a friend

Legacy (Serval) was born at Bester Birds and Animal Zoo in Johannesburg in May 2010 and came to Cheetah Outreach on a breeding loan at 8 months of age. Her role as a hand-reared serval ambassador is to raise awareness of the plight of smaller carnivores on South African farms and to highlight the Anatolian Guarding Dog Programme. She will be bred with our male serval Baggins in the future

Chobe was born at the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre on 22 May, 2009. He came to Cheetah Outreach at a few weeks of age to be hand-raised as an ambassador cat and stayed to become part of our awareness programme. Chobe is a big male, weighing almost 60 kg at only a year and a half. He is full of energy and loves to run, just for the joy of it. Welcome to the family, Chobe!

CHEETAH - CHOBE

SERVAL - LEGACY

BAT-EARED FOXES - BRAD & JANET

ANATOLIAN PLACEMENT

YOUTUBE

website: www.cheetah.co.za - e-mail: cheetah@intekom.co.za - tel: 27 21 881 3242

Next time you are browsing the YOUTUBE website (www.youtube.com) do a search for Cheetah Outreach and you will find numerous videos taken by Mike Calvin of our animals at our facility. Watch and enjoy the Cheetah Outreach life.

Mercedes, our most successful breeding female, gave birth to her second litter of 5 male and 5 female puppies on 26 May 2011. This being her second litter of puppies, she was able to nurse and care for all the puppies without the need of assistance as with the case of her first litter.

This group of 10 puppies was placed during the last part of July 2011, so it is still impossible to make any comments on their progress. The puppies were divided as follows: seven were new placements and three of the puppies were replacements. The placements went well and their progress will be monitored closely.

Irwin’s Guardian Peter (Morokweng) North West

Irwin’s Guardian Shafton (Tosca) North West

Irwin’s Guardian PippaNorth West

Irwin’s Guardian CANorth West

Irwin’s Guardian Thandi 3North West

Irwin’s Guardian Montrose (Terra Firma) North West

Irwin’s Guardian Woodstock(Tosca) North West

Irwin’s Guardian Liz 2 North West

Irwin’s Guardian Hero (Botswana)

Irwin’s Guardian CarmenNorth West

GOODBYE - Simon Espley

website: www.cheetah.co.za - e-mail: cheetah@intekom.co.za - tel: 27 21 881 3242

It is with sadness, but also with great gratitutde that we say goodbey to Simon Espley, Chairman of Cheetah Outreach Trust. He has been part of this programme from the beginning, when he worked for EWT, partaking in joint fundraising and awareness opportunities at Shopping Centres (photograph). We wish him every success for the future.

In October, Janet, our bat-eared fox female gave birth to possibly 5 or 6 babies. They were so far inside the burrow that we didn’t know they had been born until we saw her unfortunately eating a dead baby. Bat-eared foxes can have up to 6 in a litter, but prefer only raising 4 as the chances of survival are that much better. As such the female is known to sometimes kill any extra babies. With the possibility that Janet might kill all the babies, we had to then hand-raise them. 3 have survived and we are in the process of integrating them back with their parents.

JUST BORNBAT-EARED FOX BABIES

Our female serval, Legacy, gave birth to 2 kittens on 15 November. For such a young cat, she is an excellent and attentive mother, taking good care of her babies. We are unable to determine the sex of the kittens as yet. The proud father is our male serval Baggins.

SERVAL KITTENS

Simon Espley

website: www.cheetah.co.za - e-mail: cheetah@intekom.co.za - tel: 27 21 881 3242

To join Cheetah Outreach in its efforts mark the category of support and fill in your name and addresson the form below:

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:

Member (R200) - pays for worksheets for 4 school visits Bi-annual newsletter of activities, 1 free entry into enclosure per year. Supporter (R500) - Supports an on-site school presentation Newsletter, photo, name and date of school or community event, 6 free entries into enclosure per year. Patron (R1,000) - Supports funding of transport for disadvantaged schools/community groups to on-site presentation Newsletter and recognition on the Cheetah Outreach website, 15 free entries into enclosure per year. Adoption of one cheetah - when available (R5,000) Newsletter and recognition on our adoption board at Cheetah Outreach, recognition on the website and a photo and information of cheetah adopted as well as unlimited entry into our enclosure. Adoption of one small carnivore - when available (R3000/R4000) Newsletter and recognition on our adoption board at Cheetah Outreach, recognition on the website and a photo and information of cheetah adopted as well as unlimited entry into our enclosure. Adoption of Working Anatolian (R5,000) - Supports husbandry & veterinary expenses for 1st year of placement on farm Newsletter and recognition on our Anatolian adoption board at Cheetah Outreach, recognition on the website and a photo and regular updates of Anatolian adopted as well as unlimited entry into our enclosure

NAME AND CONTACT NUMBER :MAILING ADDRESS:

EMAIL ADDRESS: Mail this form and your cheque payable to:Cheetah Outreach Trust, 211 Victoria Junction, Prestwich Street, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa.

HELP SUPPORT CHEETAH OUTREACH

FOUNDER’S NOTEIt has been an exciting year with the Anatolian Guard Dog and Education programmes continuing to expand, but certainly a year of challenges as well.

In 2012 Cheetah Outreach will relocate with all the uncertainty and hard work that will entail. While being sorry to leave the beautiful Spier Estate, we look forward to our new location at Paardevlei, where the facility will run parallel to a large wetland, home to many water birds. A large historic house will complete our visitor and office needs and offer many exciting new opportunities so there is much to look forward to.

I wish to say a personal thank you to Simon Espley who has been a friend of Cheetah Outreach since the beginning and now steps down as Chair of the Trust. We will miss his advice, but will continue to keep him in touch with all our activities.

I wish you all a happy Christmas and peaceful, safe 2012. Annie