Rosy

Rosy and her sister Daisy were born in March 2002, and arrived at CCF in Feb 2003 with their brother Mushara.
One of our Anatolian livestock guarding dog owners was delivering cattle on a farm near Omaruru and saw these three sitting in a small cage on the farm. They called CCF, who obtained permission from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to confiscate them. They were held for at least five months in a 4 x 6 metre cage that looked as if it had never been cleaned. Despite the heat there was no water in the cage when CCF collected them. The cage was full of carrion, including rotting baboon and jackal carcasses. Large carnivores may not be held without the appropriate permits in Namibia.

Tempesta

In 2003, CCF received a phone call from a distressed farmer near Omaruru. He was forced to shoot a female cheetah after she attacked and severely injured one of his farm workers. The cheetah subsequently tested positive for rabies. Two weeks later, three starving cheetah cubs were observed in the same area. The farmer contacted CCF and was advised on how to set a trap to try and catch the three cubs. They were captured two weeks later.The cheetah cubs were in very poor shape, having been without a mother for almost a month and being only three to four months of age. Despite veterinary care, one female cub died as a result of a severe respiratory infection. The surviving brother (Tuono) and sister (Tempesta) responded well to a healthy diet and rapidly regained the weight that had been lost.

Samantha

In 2003, CCF was told of three orphaned cheetah cubs in need of immediate attention. After negotiations with the farm owners, the cubs were handed over to CCF. A larger male (Mr. Big) and his two sisters (Samantha and Carey) were found in a small cage where they had been held for two months prior to their rescue by CCF. All three cubs exhibited signs of severe calcium deficiency, resulting from a very poor diet. What happened to their mother is unknown. Samantha was not walking when she arrived at CCF. An x-ray confirmed that she had a damaged pelvis due to crumbling bones. Her bones healed well with an improved diet. Her sister Carey had injuries that did not heal with treatment and she had to be euthanised. Mr. Big had damaged wrists from the poor diet, but did not require corrective surgery. Cheetah cubs grow at a rapid rate and require a calcium-rich diet to ensure their bones have enough strength to support their body weight. All CCF cheetahs receive calcium supplements.

Xena

"I arrived at CCF along with my brother Chester in January 2008 and estimated to have been around a year old. A farmer in the Okahandja region caught us after he had seen us kill one of his sheep. Once at CCF Chester was eventually paired with Omdillo whilst I was placed into an existing coalition consisting of three similar aged females, Emma, Minja and Jacomina. I immediately became the alpha female in my new coalition and showed no fear in coming towards my keepers demanding food."

Xena is one of CCF’s most fiery characters and has the best spitting and paw slapping display you will see from any cheetah. Cheetah keeper Matt Cleverley named Xena after the character from the TV show ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’. Given her confidence and fiery nature he felt the name fitted perfectly! Xena’s coalition was released into the main Bellebenno pen in July 2009. Xena is often found away from the other three, demonstrating her independent and confident nature.

The ‘impartial’ keepers consider Xena an all time favourite among all the cheetahs at CCF, and one of the most beautiful! There truly are no words to best describe Xena’s warrior-like behaviour. She is also a favourite among visiting film crews, who love to capture her quadruple slapping/spitting on camera!

Xena has a very distinctive round face which when around people is always frowning with her ears pinned back. She is very bold and will approach, hiss and spit at whoever is near her.

Chester

"I was about 2 years old when I came to CCF in January 2008 with my sister Xena. Unfortunately I was suffering from a broken leg and required extensive surgery. But I was in good hands! CCF’s veterinary team were able to fix my leg allowing and I made a good recovery. My leg break was a serious one and I wouldn't have been able to cope with the stress of running at top speed, which unfortunately means I cannot be released back into the wild."

Chester shares his large enclosure with another five other males called Ombdillo, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Chester and Cruise. We call them the Motley Crew.

Chester and Ombdillo are two feisty cheetahs that get on famously and like to spend their day chilling out on their favourite mound which they use to get a good look at their surroundings. The one object they look for the most is the CCF feeding vehicle! The moment they see it driving towards them they jump of the mound and charge down to the feeding area, but if you thought Chester and Omdillo greet their keepers with soft purring then you’d be very much mistaken! Instead they take it in turns to look as big and tough as possible by hunching their shoulders, slapping their paws on the ground, hissing and spitting. Chester is the only one of the Crew who can run close to Omdillo in chase of the feeding car and not get a swipe from CCF’s largest cat. Chester also remains an excellent runner and it's only when he sits down can you see any sign of his old broken leg injury.