The African Safari Co. team is at Madikwe Safari Lodge, in South Africa, and have had an incredible game experience in just the first 24 hours! From giraffic jams to an amazing rhino sighting with a young one, a beautiful young lioness and a parade of an elephant herd just outside the room, we ARE NOT disappointed.
Of all the wonderful things we’ve seen, the pair of large male cheetahs was perhaps the best. Not only are they incredible cats to come across, but at Madikwe in particular, they have been fought hard for and the efforts continue. Learn more about Madikwe’s cheetahs below. While the two females mentioned in this blog re-post unfortunately didn’t make it, three more females have been introduced in the past year and are doing wonderfully!! Now it’s up to them. Fingers crossed for some healthy cubs in the near future.
The 5 Cheetahs of Madikwe
Cheetahs are the world’s fastest land animals. But what they have gained in speed, they have compromised in strength. They’re lighter and weaker, which does not stand in their favour when it comes to conflict with other carnivores such as lions, hyenas, leopards and wild dogs.
This has led to the poor survival rate of cheetahs within Madikwe Game Reserve. The lions had successfully wiped out the cheetah population before 2 males were introduced to the reserve in 2012. The wild dogs then killed one of the males, but the other managed to survive.
Early in 2013, a coalition of 4 brothers were brought in from the Eastern Cape, and to date they are thankfully doing very well. The reserve total is now up to 5. The 4 brothers are seen frequently by our guides, and are often seen on kills. The solitary male will not join the brothers as they are not related.
To expand the population, and to ensure the continued success of the cheetahs, the reserve introduced 2 females into the boma (a holding area before they are released onto the reserve).
