Fossey

“I came in April 2007 with five other cubs of the same age from a farm in Gobabis, close to the Botswana border. We were in a 4x8 meter cage, with no sun and a concrete floor. We had been separated from an adult female --the farm owner said this was our mother. We all had severe calcium deficiency and several of us had minor rickets and minor cataracts because of mal nutrition. Although we were about a year old, the CCF staff said we looked to be about 8 months because of our poor health. All of us got a lot better here at CCF with a proper diet and lots of space to run around in.”

Fossey, along with his coalition mates –males Livingstone, Mendel and Darwin, and females Kayla and Kiana-- were trapped after they had been seen hunting Blesbok and Springbok. The six cubs, estimated to be about one year old, were put together with the adult female to see if we were still bonded, but she didn’t want anything to do with them. They had been separated on the farm for five months. Eventually we released the female, as she was still wild enough and able to take care of herself. Whether the cubs and the adult female were related is unclear but they were closely bonded to each other.

Upon arriving at CCF it was decided to name the males after famous scientists and researchers and are collectively known as the ‘Four Scientists’. We separated the Scientists from the two females because they were old enough to breed. Livingston, Fossey, Darwin and Mendel are in a 5-ha enclosure close to the CCF Centre and the run system that was set up for them helped improved their bone and muscle condition. They are known for their fiery attitudes, which makes them the favourites amongst volunteers and staff members. When opening the gate to their enclosure for feeding, you can always expect a ‘cheetah’ greeting, full of slapping, spitting, and hissing.

Fossey is almost as big as Mendel but is still subordinate to him. He has a very fluffy tail with a small white tip. He also has a slight scar running down the right side of his nose. Fossie is one of the strongest runners amongst the Four and will often run alongside the driver side window.

Darwin

"I came in April 2007 with five other cubs of the same age from a farm in Gobabis, close to the Botswana border. We were in a 4x8 meter cage, with no sun and a concrete floor. We had been separated from an adult female --the farm owner said this was our mother. We all had severe calcium deficiency and several of us had minor rickets and minor cataracts because of mal nutrition. Although we were about a year old, the CCF staff said we looked to be about 8 months because of our poor health. All of us got a lot better here at CCF with a proper diet and lots of space to run around in.”

Darwin, along with his coalition mates –males Fossey, Mendel and Livingstone, and females Kayla and Kiana-- were trapped after they had been seen hunting Blesbok and Springbok. The six cubs, estimated to be about one year old, were put together with the adult female to see if we were still bonded, but she didn’t want anything to do with them. They had been separated on the farm for five months. Eventually we released the female, as she was still wild enough and able to take care of herself. Whether the cubs and the adult female were related is unclear but they were closely bonded to each other.

Upon arriving at CCF it was decided to name the males after famous scientists and researchers and are collectively known as the ‘Four Scientists’. We separated the Scientists from the two females because they were old enough to breed. Livingston, Fossey, Darwin and Mendel are in a 5-ha enclosure close to the CCF Centre and the run system that was set up for them helped improved their bone and muscle condition. They are known for their fiery attitudes, which makes them the favourites amongst volunteers and staff members. When opening the gate to their enclosure for feeding, you can always expect a ‘cheetah’ greeting, full of slapping, spitting, and hissing.

Darwin is very easy to identify due to the very large white tip at the end of his tail. Also his ear tag is in the wrong ear --males are usually tagged in the right ear but his is in the left. Darwin is the most submissive of the group and is often at the back of the group whilst waiting for food and when running behind the feeding car.

Livingstone

“I came in April 2007 with five other cubs of the same age from a farm in Gobabis, close to the Botswana border. We were in a 4x8 meter cage, with no sun and a concrete floor. We had been separated from an adult female --the farm owner said this was our mother. We all had severe calcium deficiency and several of us had minor rickets and minor cataracts because of mal nutrition. Although we were about a year old, the CCF staff said we looked to be about 8 months because of our poor health. All of us got a lot better here at CCF with a proper diet and lots of space to run around in.”

Livingstone along with his coalition mates –males Fossey, Mendel and Darwin, and females Kayla and Kiana-- were trapped after they had been seen hunting Blesbok and Springbok. The six cubs, estimated to be about one year old, were put together with the adult female to see if we were still bonded, but she didn’t want anything to do with them. They had been separated on the farm for five months. Eventually we released the female, as she was still wild enough and able to take care of herself. Whether the cubs and the adult female were related is unclear but they were closely bonded to each other.

Upon arriving at CCF it was decided to name the males after famous scientists and researchers and are collectively known as the ‘Four Scientists’. We separated the Scientists from the two females because they were old enough to breed. Livingston, Fossey, Darwin and Mendel are in a 5-ha enclosure close to the CCF Centre and the run system that was set up for them helped improved their bone and muscle condition. They are known for their fiery attitudes, which makes them the favourites amongst volunteers and staff members. When opening the gate to their enclosure for feeding, you can always expect a ‘cheetah’ greeting, full of slapping, spitting, and hissing.

Livingstone is one of the smaller Scientists (along with Darwin) but is an extremely feisty character. He always approaches people in a distinctive hunched over posture and is not shy in coming up close and slapping his paws on the ground with hisses and spits. The spots on his forehead are often described as forming the letter ‘M’.

Mendel

“I came in April 2007 with five other cubs of the same age from a farm in Gobabis, close to the Botswana border. We were in a 4x8 meter cage, with no sun and a concrete floor. We had been separated from an adult female --the farm owner said this was our mother. We all had severe calcium deficiency and several of us had minor rickets and minor cataracts because of mal nutrition. Although we were about a year old, the CCF staff said we looked to be about 8 months because of our poor health. All of us got a lot better here at CCF with a proper diet and lots of space to run around in.”

Mendel along with his coalition mates –males Fossey, Livingstone and Darwin, and females Kayla and Kiana-- were trapped after they had been seen hunting Blesbok and Springbok. The six cubs, estimated to be about one year old, were put together with the adult female to see if we were still bonded, but she didn’t want anything to do with them. They had been separated on the farm for five months. Eventually we released the female, as she was still wild enough and able to take care of herself. Whether the cubs and the adult female were related is unclear but they were closely bonded to each other.

Upon arriving at CCF it was decided to name the males after famous scientists and researchers and are collectively known as the ‘Four Scientists’. We separated the Scientists from the two females because they were old enough to breed. Livingston, Fossey, Darwin and Mendel are in a 5-ha enclosure close to the CCF Centre and the run system that was set up for them helped improved their bone and muscle condition. They are known for their fiery attitudes, which makes them the favourites amongst volunteers and staff members. When opening the gate to their enclosure for feeding, you can always expect a ‘cheetah’ greeting, full of slapping, spitting, and hissing.

Mendel is the biggest and most dominant of the Scientists. He will aggressively slap the others out of his way when waiting for food and is always at the front of the group when running after the feeding car.