Shadow

The CCF first worked on Shadow when she was caught with her family on a farm near Osire, when she was about four months old. She was then released. A farmer recaptured the family three months later, then sent them to a guest farm. Shadow arrived at CCF 3 years later, still wearing a CCF eartag. She had been abandoned.

Many people are tempted to keep cheetahs for tourism, but this is at least a ten-year commitment and few people understand the legalities, costs and commitment needed to care for captive cheetahs.

Nina

Nina was born in January 2000, and she arrived for the first time in August 2000 with her brother Josie when they were 8 months old. They arrived with their mother, whose hind foot had been badly injured by a gin trap. After five months of treatment, all three were re-released. Sadly, the mother’s radio collar showed no movement a few weeks after they were released. Research staff tracked the collar on foot, only to find that the collared cheetah had died. The cause of death was unknown, as vultures had already eaten a lot of the carcass. Both Nina and Josie were caught on neighbour Harry Schneider-Waterberg’s farm. They were very hungry, but otherwise healthy.

Solo

Solo was born in February 2000, and arrived at CCF in January 2001. She was caught on a sheep farm south of Windhoek with her siblings when she was estimated at 13 months old. What happened to her mother is unknown. In 2001, her sister and brother went to White Oak Conservation Centre in Florida, USA.
Female cheetahs teach their young vital survival skills, including hunting. Without their mother for up to 18 to 22 months, they do not learn these survival skills and
are unable to live as wild cheetahs.

Bella

"I arrived at CCF in January 2009 when I was about 8 months' old. I had been rescued by a cheetah friendly farmer just past Okahandja who found me living in a small chicken coup on a neighbouring farm. The caring farmer took me and called CCF to collect me; he also took me to the vet for initial vaccinations. CCF staff collected me and found me in excellent condition inside a well kept dog pen, but persuading me to enter their cheetah transport box proved quite tricky. Eventually a member of staff had to enter the pen armed with a towel which was placed over me so they could grab me by the scruff of my neck and then carefully placed me the box. "

The fate of Bella’s mother is unknown but being separated from her at such a young age means that Bella will not be able to be released back into the wild as she has been denied the essential life skills that her mother would have taught her.

Bella means ‘Beautiful’ in Italian and this couldn’t be more appropriate. When Bella arrived CCF staff and volunteers couldn’t believe how adorably cute she was, so much so that Bella often becomes many visitor’s favourite CCF cheetah.

Bella was kept on her own for the first couple of weeks but fortunately we had an opportunity to place her with another young female called Padme. Padme is several months older than Bella and has become her adopted older sister. Bella used to be very shy and would run away from her keepers whenever she saw them but since being with Padme she has grown in confidence and is now following Padme’s example by hissing, spitting and slapping her front paws at them, although rather than being intimidating Bella still can’t help but look very very cute!