A female cheetah in the Mountain Zebra National Park (MZNP) outside Cradock in the Eastern Cape received a new tracking collar recently, thanks to a generous donation. The collar fitted previously was about to reach the end of its lifespan.
MZNP is currently home to eight cheetahs. Of these, four are collared. MZNP is the only national park offering a cheetah tracking activity, and the animals are the ones that are sought out by activity guides through the use of a VHF telemetry device.
If guests are lucky enough, they could get within 40 metres of one or more cheetahs in their natural habitat. They also help park management to gather ecological data for research purposes that helps in the management of the species.
MZNP first reintroduced cheetah in 2007 with two females from the nearby Samara Game Reserve, after being absent from the plains of the Karoo for 130 years. It is South African National Parks’ policy to reintroduce wildlife species that would have occurred in an…