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Latest news
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February 2012
Cheetah Conservation Botswana Special Volunteer Opportunity
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CCB is looking for two dedicated, hard working people interested in predator conservation and willing to put up with long work days and spartan living conditions. CCB will be participating in a special project assessing the numbers of predators in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the worlds second largest game reserve. The project will involve one week in a team working and living in the game reserve counting predators and other rare animals and free camping in the park. The project will involve long days driving through the park and nights camping in spartan conditions. The volunteers will join CCB for the entire month of March as per our normal volunteer program, but will have the added opportunity to participate in the predator count in their final week. Interested applicants should visit the CCB and the working abroad websites (cheetahbotswana.com or workingabroad.com) or email volunteer@cheetahbotswana.com or Victoria McNeil at Victoria.McNeil@workingabroad.com
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December 2011
Happy New Year from Cheetah Conservation Botswana
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It’s been an exciting year at Cheetah Conservation Botswana and we would like to thank all of our supporters for being part of our success in 2011! We look forward to 2012 and working towards a sustainable future for the cheetah and Kalahari! We wish you a happy new year and all the best for 2012! |
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December 2011
Motion Camera Studies in Ghanzi
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CCB's research team has been working hard through the gruelling summer months in the Kalahari to research animal movements throughout the Ghanzi farmlands. CCB's marking tree study is entering its final few months and the photos coming in from the cameras have been incredible. Pictures downloaded from a marking tree not 30km from CCB's research base show three male cheetahs interacting with a lone brown hyena. This is something that CCB's researchers had never seen nor heard of before and consultation with Botswana's leading hyena researchers led to equal disbelief. As far as we can tell, interactions between these two threatened species are very rare and occur mostly when the two species are fighting over food. Photos of this casual interaction at the marking tree were a truly rare and special discovery. Another series of photos taken at a marking tree on a cattle farm near the border of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve had CCB's researcher's rather worried. The series of photos showed a herd of cattle running in front of the camera and then pictures of a lone cow being surrounded by a pack of African Wild Dogs. Worried for the cow's safety and not looking forward to the next photos in the series, our researchers were relieved to see pictures of the cow standing her ground and scaring the pack away. The subsequent pictures show the Wild Dogs leaving and the cow continuing to graze seemingly unperturbed by the whole ordeal.
As well as the ongoing marking tree study, CCB is also conducting a motion camera survey in Ghanzi to continue research into the movements of predators through cattle and game farms. By analysing movement patterns, home ranges and relationships between predator densities CCB can assist farmers in managing their predators and help them to protect their stocks from losses. Mitigating human wildlife conflict reduces the numbers of cheetahs killed by farmers and helps secure this threatened species with a future outside of protected reserves. |
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November 2011
Best Farmer in the Western Kalahari Conservation Corridor
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In 2011, a competition for the ‘Best Farmer in the Western Kalahari Conservation Corridor’ was held to award farmers who use responsible livestock management practices in this predator conflict hotspot region.
Mr Bokheme, from Hunhukwe area, emerged the overall winner and was awarded a first prize of a 2 night stay at Grasslands Safaris, a farm hamper and a trophy from Cheetah Conservation Botswana. Grassland Safari is a unique lodge close to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. With a long history and understanding of the region, Grasslands Safari’s is an ideal stop on the way into the CKGR. We’d like to thank Grasslands for their support! Grassland Safaris can be contacted at neeltjie@grasslandlodge.com or degraaff@it.bw
Website: www.grasslandlodge.com |
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November 2011
Smallstock Demo Farm Success
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Summer and the rains have come to CCB’s Ghanzi camp and with it 20 goat kids frolicking about. CCB maintains a small goat herd to help demonstrate predator safe farming techniques. Our small group of 13 does were visited by a ram generously donated by Brahm Ventor of Albra Boer Goats. The resulting goat kids, 15 of which are female, are all healthy and strong. They are currently being kept in our predator proof kraal, with their mothers going out to feed during the day. The kids will be kept in the kraal for a month to 6 weeks before they start spending the day out in the veldt with their mothers under the close supervision of our livestock guarding dogs. These simple methods greatly reduce the chance of losses due to predators, and therefore reduce conflict with farmers. CCB works hard to promote these techniques to farmers to not only reduce human predator conflict but increase farm productivity. |
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October 2011
Cheetah mother with 3 cubs collared and released in Ghanzi
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A further step towards conservation of cheetah was made recently as Cheetah Conservation Botswana released a female cheetah with a GPS-ARGOS tracking collar. The female cheetah, nick-named Marjatta, was caught by CCB staff on a game farm neighbouring CCB’s Ghanzi camp. She was a mother of three nearly grown cubs and exactly the kind of animal we have been seeking to collar for some time. Marjatta was collared and released at the capture site to avoid the undue stress of capturing all of her cubs. The cubs faithfully stayed around the area while mum was being detained. Thanks to her stylish new collar CCB staff will monitor Marjatta’s movements over the next two years to better understand how cheetah use the Ghanzi farm area and better inform our conservation message. |
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