| |
Back to Index
Coming
home
Tikki
Hywood Trust
October 07, 2013
It all began
20 years ago when I arrived, naive and inexperienced, off the plane
from Paris. Through my own personal tragedy I arrived at Gonarezhou
National Park (GNP). A hostile, stark and dry Savannah lay before
my eyes. Naked trees scattered the horizon, grey carcasses lay decaying
on the ground, it was 1992. This year had gone down in Zimbabwe’s
history as one of the worst droughts ever recorded. For the next
three months I would become part of a team of liked minded people
whose goal was to removed 689 elephants out of the Park in the hopes
of saving their lives - it was also the beginning of my own personal
journey down the road of conservation.
The cycle of
life reached a full circle for me when 20 years on, I arrived once
again in the GNP, only this time it was not to take anything out
of the Park but rather to give back. Tim Paulet, Hugo van der Westhuizen
and I flew into the Park on 20 September 2013 with Asante, a 12-month-old
male cheetah, as our cargo. The journey of any orphaned wild animal
is filled with numerous emotions; Asante’s story is no different.
When Asante orphaned at 5-6 months old, arrived at the Trust he
had a brother, Benhanzia. Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management
Authority (ZPWMA) had confiscated these cubs, which had been orphaned
in the Lowveld and brought to Harare. They asked the Tikki Hywood
Trust to undertake the care and rehabilitation of these endangered
cats and prepare them for release back into the wild when the time
came. As always with the Trust, if there is a species we have not
dealt with before, we consult other experts. Cheetah re-wilding
was a new concept to us, so we quickly started contacting different
Cheetah specialist groups around Africa, in the hopes of giving
these two cubs the best opportunity possible using the expert advice.
However, the more information we gathered, the more daunting the
task seemed. Cheetahs are incredibly difficult to return back to
the wild, a statement that echoed through most of the groups we
consulted. Several groups even strongly advised not to release the
cubs, but to keep them captive as ambassadorial animals! Point and
counterpoint the cubs’ future was in a delicate balance as
we had to weigh the pros and cons of release, or a life of captivity.
Whilst we deliberated
their future, the cubs grew from strength to strength in the Trust’s
care, oblivious of the juggling that was taking place with regards
to their fate but as the weeks grew into months, slowly the wheel
towards freedom started its first revolution. In the first instance
the cheetahs needed to be in peak condition and realize that they
were able to stretch their legs and run as cheetahs should - muscle
development being all important. Their diet also needed to be strongly
addressed, with the right food being given to them. It had been
reported to us that they were being fed IAMS which is a commercial
dog food in dry cube form, which of course is entirely unsuitable.
What we did know however, was that these two cheetahs were healthy,
young and had each other so we had to come up with the best solution
for their future. With the numerous releases that the Trust has
undertaken over the years, we have a steadfast belief that release
is always the first option when an animal is fit and able. Even
more so would this be our goal for these cheetah brothers.
However, this
does not mean we were not fully aware of the risks attached to such
a challenge. After discussions with the Authorities, a release site
was chosen, and this was to be the Umfurudzi National Park in the
Shamva area, a two hour drive from Harare. This Park was once a
thriving National Park alive with game, but due to the past two
decades of poaching, loss of tourism and a general lack of funds,
Umfurudzi had slowly degenerated and lost the majority of her wildlife.
Resurrecting the park from the ashes of its burnt out past became
a joint venture between Pioneer Transport and ZPWMA and together
a these two groups began to breath new life into this area in 2010.
With invigorated new management, funding and renewed infrastructure;
wildlife was once again brought into this area. Historically cheetahs
were found in the Umfurudzi area, so by the time the cheetah brothers
reached a matured enough age for release it was decided to return
them to Umfurudzi completing the broken cycle of history so that
these endangered animals were once again wild in this area. With
all the preparations in place, the brothers were moved to Umfurudzi
on 21 April 2013.They were placed into a soft release boma where
they would stay for the following two months acclimatizing to their
new environment; the smells, the difference species of wildlife
and not forgetting the temperatures. The next step was to fit them
with tracking collars and this was done at the last moment possible
to give them room to grow. On 1 June 2013 having settled into their
new neck accessories, the brothers were released into an area of
the Park that had been fenced off approximately 3000 hectares. Now
the work started with tracking them daily, watching anxiously to
see if they were able to hunt and fend for themselves. For the first
three months the cheetahs became confident hunters, killing on average
three prey species a week from duiker to impala. Living wild and
living free they seemed to have adapted to the wild incredibly well,
behaving as true Lords of the veld and not needing any interference
from the management team. Our elation however, was to become short
lived, as the one area of concern that we had with the proximity
of rural settlements on the Parks boundaries and the brothers straying
through the fence – became a dreaded and bitter reality.
It is called
human-wildlife conflict, a seemingly diplomatic phrase for the reality
that is a war on both sides. Livestock are always easier targets
for wild predators they will never match the skill and survival
instinct of hunted antelope. Unfortunately goats abounded in the
community that the cheetah brothers found themselves in and like
children given free reign in a sweet shop – the killing was
too easy. After the first incident the cheetah were moved back into
the Park, however, they now knew where to find ‘easy prey’
and it was our concern that it would be a short time before they
tried again. Umfurudzi was no longer ideal and we had to find an
alternative and find it quickly. Springing into action we determined
several alternative places to move the brothers to but we were working
against a hidden deadline and that would be the point where the
cheetahs once again infiltrated a neighbouring community. Three
days after the first incident this is exactly what happened and
goats were once again on the menu. Tim Paulet immediately set off
to the Park to dart the cheetahs and bring them back to the release
boma so that we could take control of the situation. However, the
boys were now wild and too alert. Get close enough to see them and
dart became a hide and seek game. We tried a different tactic, trying
to lure the boys into a secure area with chunks of meat. The idea
was to get them comfortable and visual enough for darting but we
also faced the very real problem of getting only one brother with
the remaining one running off! It seems even our well intended plan
was never to bear fruit and the sense of panic and anticipation
heightened with every hour that the cheetah brothers remained at
large.
Describing our next situation with words seems inadequate. The total
sense of agony and loss that a parent must feel when their children
go to war is a comparison that must be drawn here. For us at the
Trust, hanging onto the ring of a telephone or the bleep of a Skype
message to update us on the boys’ location was torture. Feeling
utterly paralyzed and anxious, the next report we received was the
one we dreaded the most – a cheetah had been killed. Details
and times were repeated to us, but all of this was suppressed by
the white hot anguish of the loss and all we could hear was our
own hearts screaming WHY??
Benhanzia,
the dominant brother had fallen.
As quickly as
this devastating news filled our minds so did the urgency and anxiety
for the safety of the surviving brother become an extreme focus.
Early the following morning Dr Astrid Heulin came to our assistance,
heading out to the Park on a peace keeping mission of talking to
the community to prevent another loss and to help locate Asante.
Dr Heulin’s
diplomatic skills proved invaluable and shortly after her arrival
Asante had been located. A second team consisting of Dr, Chris Foggin,
Greg Foggin and Ellen Connelly went in to dart the cheetah and bring
him back to safety. None of us wanted any further bloodshed on either
side. The darting was textbook perfect thanks to Chris’s vast
experience and before nightfall Asante was back in the release enclosure
at Umfurudzi, for the first time in his life, truly alone without
his brother. This has been a terrifying roller-coaster of events,
with so many questions however, the harsh reality was that we still
had one brother, who although traumatized, was fit and healthy and
had tasted the life of being wild. We had to find a solution that
would work best for Asante’s future.
We had many
difficult issues to wrestle with. WHERE? HOW? WILL IT WORK? Asante
was not the dominant brother, would he in fact be able to hunt successfully
on his own? On the flip side if he could not cope, would he adjust
to a life of captivity seeing as he had tasted freedom? Once again
we called Cheetah Zimbabwe and other experienced people/groups for
their input and suggestions. Like a badly designed multiple choice
question, none of the answers seemed to fit. Grappling with these
opposing ideas, one thought continued on a steady beat, gradually
getting louder. Surely if an animal has had the taste of the hunt
and lived as one with nature, then to take that all away would in
fact be a crime. Obviously Asante would have to be monitored more
closely if he was released somewhere else, he would have to move
into a Park that was much larger in size with plenty of food and
it had to be more remote from neighbouring rural communities. But
a second release of this nature was as much a “leap of faith”,
if not more so than the first. There are no guarantee’s with
any release and all we can do as man, is offer the best and then
step back and leave it up to the animal. More and more the obvious
answer was reaffirming itself, Asante needed to be wild. A month,
a year, or ten years of being wild, would be worth more than a lifetime
in captivity for this cheetah. With all the broken pieces of the
puzzle starting to take shape, a Park, a date and an action plan
was sent in place.
Finally the
day of the move came and on the 20 September 2013, we awoke with
fear and anxiety beating in our hearts not too far off the original
sensations of moving both boys in the first place months ago. Only
this time, there was a distinct feeling of emptiness where Benhanzia
should have been. Asante would hopefully be taking his final walk
to freedom today and that would be a long and indeed stressful process.
The first step was to retrieve him from the release boma at Umfurudzi
and fit him with a new collar with satellite tracking capabilities.
The mood was sombre and there was an air of expectation. Asante
was extremely wary as we approached with the blow pipe but one thing
was certain – this animal was no longer a wide eyed adolescent
– he was a wild adult cheetah, the evidence showing in his
developed shoulder muscles. Once sedated and the new collar fitted
and tested, he was loaded into a darkened crate and the journey
to Charles Prince – Harare’s private airport started.
The news of the arrival of a cheetah in a crate at the local airport
had spread and a crowd had gathered to see this wild prince be transported
to his new home. Sedation was good, Asante was breathing deep and
constant and seemed unaware to the numerous pairs of eyes vying
for a view of him. Looking out at the runway we could see Hugo’s
zebra stripped airplane taxing down towards us.
The plane was
loaded up with all the necessary equipment for the next phase of
the journey and last minute discussions took place on the seating
arrangements. Due to the size of the aircraft, Asante could not
travel in a crate; rather he had to lie next to the back passenger
seat on a mattress, secured with a cargo net over him. Tim Paulet
would be seated next to Asante watching over him and topping up
sedation during the flight should it be required. The sleeping cheetah
had to be physically removed from his transport crate and manoeuvred
into position in the plane. From an observers perspective I believe
it might have looked extremely perilous to fly with a sleeping adult
cheetah just behind you but we had discussed the procedure and everyone
was confident that it would work. As an added precaution, Asante’s
collar would be secured with a rope to the seat next to him, so
that even if he did wake up in flight he would still be restrained.
Everything was in place and so I reached into the crate and covered
Asante’s eyes with a blind fold. The minute I touched him,
he growled and tried to stand up - the sedation had worn off while
we were packing. Very quickly he was given a top up sedative and
we had to wait what seemed hours, but in reality were only minutes
for him to fall back into sleep. Touching him for the second time,
there was no reaction; so once again I reached inside hoping that
we would now be able to move him out of the crate and onto the plane.
In mid manoeuvre from crate to plane he started to fight the drug
and it looked like he was trying to get purchase on the ground to
run. The heat and noise of plane engines seemed to stimulate him
and counteract the drugs so in desperation we held him down on the
runway and gave another sedative top up. The crowd that had gathered
at this point respectfully backed off and within minutes the cat
was in a good sedation and he could be put into the plane. Speed
was everything at this point – the sooner we got the plane
to move the calmer Asante would become and he would drift into a
deeper sleep with the constant motion of the plane and the humming
of the engine.
Sensing the
urgency the little plane quickly coughed into life and the next
leg of the journey took us into the sky. We would be in Gonarezhou
National Park in an hour and 40 minutes. The heat was extreme and
thankfully we could keep the small side window open right up until
we had lift off. The haze lay thickly upon the horizon due to all
the smoke in the air from fires, but Hugo’s expert flying
took us higher rising above the turbulent bumps caused by pockets
of hot air. As we had hoped, Asante slipped into a deeper sleep,
Tim was at the ready should there be any eye reflex indicating and
imminent wake up and periodically spraying Asante with water to
keep his temperature down. Just before 4 pm Hugo informed us that
we were about to descend and looking out of the window I could see
the vastness of the Park. Brown earth sprinkled with bare trees
for as far as the eye could see. For the umpteenth time that day
my heart started thumping as I felt the plane tipping downwards
for landing. Had we made the right decision? Would this be the right
Park for Asante? Would he cope on his own? Would his need for survival
be great enough for him to become the hunter he needed to be? Safely
landed and thankfully with a still sleeping cheetah – We moved
Asante into a large leopard crate and started on the last leg of
the trip by vehicle to the intended release area. Still blissfully
sedated, Asante was unaware of the preparations taking place and
the packing of equipment and supplies around his crate.
Ready and loaded
to the brim we drove off. Traveling around the first bend of the
Park we came across a beautiful herd of kudu, standing - alerted
by the sound of the vehicle, ears pricked forward at the ready should
we be a hungry predator. Passing them I began to hear the heart
beat of the African bush. The shrilling call of the hornbill heard
in the background, the engine of the vehicle roaring as it traveled
up the kopjes moving to our new destination. The sun gently setting,
cast dusty pinks and mauves upon the rock formation and a pair of
klipspringers bolted away from our passing vehicle. This is Africa,
this is why we fight for our wildlife and this is why Asante belongs
in the wild and not in a cage. To experience the bush in its virgin
state removes all doubts as to where wild animals should and should
not be. Sitting on top of Asante crate for the first time since
Benhanzia death, I felt totally at peace with the decision to try
and release Asante again alone without his brother. At the setting
light we arrived and looked for an adequate campsite.
Spread out before my eyes lay the Runde River, impala moving towards
the puddles of water for their last drink before nightfall. The
dry heat reminded me once again that I was in the bush and the calls
of the night jars and fruit bats could be heard. Asante remain on
the back of the vehicle for the night in the crate. He was recovering
well and was not lying down; rather he had his head up with dark
amber eyes watching the preparations that we humans make before
the curtain of darkness falls on the land. The kettle was placed
onto the fire, as tea was way over due and to be honest, there is
nothing that beats a cup of tea on the banks of a dry riverbed in
the bush! Everything we had done up to this point had been successful
and as I sat and drank tea, I wondered what Asante would be thinking
tomorrow when he was freed once again in a new home surrounded by
new sights and smells. One thing I did know was that this Park most
certainly could be his playground, as impala herds littered the
veld as well as grysbok and klipspringers. Food would not be an
issue and he could run as fast as the wind could take him as there
were infinite stretches of open land. At first light I cut 3 kgs
of meat that we had brought for him and put it in his crate. Initially
he was not at all interested, but as we humans backed of, his hunger
did get the better of him and he ate. This was a good sign. When
I approached him after this meal he started hissing and slapping
the entrance to his door. A surge of elation for me as Asante was
asserting his state as a wild predator – this is exactly how
he was supposed to react! He was back to normal with no drug residue,
other than perhaps a hangover, so there was no reason for delay
any further - it was time to release him. We drove the crate to
where we saw a herd of impala – backed the vehicle towards
the Runde River and opened the crate. Asante knew what the open
door meant and without a second thought moved out of the crate,
jumped down from the vehicle and slinked off into some undergrowth.
It was hot and the sand veld under foot would have been hot. We
watched and waited. No two releases are the same and apart from
heading in a Northward direction no two animals react in the same
way. It was bitter sweet to see Asante, on his own the last time
we went through this Benhanzia lead the way. The first time around
the two brothers were brimming with confidence egging one another
on as they strode into their kingdom, princes of all they surveyed.
Asante, on his own however, was guarded, cautious and nervous. After
half and hour or more he decided to move at a trot. He slipped away
from us towards the river and I hoped that in the soaring heat he
had gone to find water. We had lost sight of him but the beep beep
of his collar was loud, indicating that he was close.
As I looked
over the riverbank below me, there was Asante drinking – he
had found the river. Camouflaged in the riverbed against the backdrop
of fallen yellow and golden leaves, it was such a relief to see
him at last drinking. Thirst quenched Asante leaped up the bank
and slipped away silently. We took this as our cue to leave him
to get his bearings; we would track him again later in the afternoon.
At 3.30 pm we picked up his trail again and he had moved from where
we had last seen him. Heading north for about 2kms, we found him
calmly lying under a Chinese lantern tree. I could see that the
heat was affecting him and he was panting rapidly, but otherwise
relaxed. The next few days we continued to track Asante morning
and evening, making sure he was physically able to fend for himself.
On Monday morning Asante ‘sealed the deal’ giving me
the much sought after sign that I so desperately needed to see that
we had made the right decision. Asante had made his first kill in
GNP – a young kudu which was solid proof that he was capable
of looking after himself without his leader, his brother. Asante
stayed with the carcass for the next two days, another indicator
that there were not too many predators in that area to compete with
him for his prize, which would give Asante a better chance of survival.
The “leap
of faith,’ had been taken by all who were involved, in making
this translocation happen. It now was up to Asante, he had the tools
to be able to survive he has enough food and he had the freedom
to roam GNP as a wild cheetah. The human / wildlife conflict will
of course continue to be a concern. However, we believe that with
a satellite collar, we will be better informed to intervene if required.
A project of
this nature takes a lot of understanding and co-ordination to enable
it to become a success. We would not have been able to achieve this
release without key individuals and companies who were keen to return
Asante to the wild. In addition to everyone who has offered us support
and guidance we offer a sincerest thank you. Our gratitude also
goes to the following people and organisations:
- Bunda –
Tracker Gonarezhou National Park
- Caroline
Goshen
- Dr Astrid
Huelin
- Dr Chris
Foggin
- Hugo van
der Westhuizen – Frankfurt Zoological Society in Gonarezhou
National Park
- Lara Langlois
– Executive Air
- Rosemary
Groom – African Wildlife Conservation Trust
- Ruben - Tracker
for African Wildlife Conservation Trust
- Swift
- Tim Paulet
– Wildlife Management Service International
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
