|
|
|
World's Fastest Animal, Slowly Disappearing
KAMANJAB, Namibia - The rules were simple. Remove your sunglasses, do not stare into their eyes, and only touch them when you're told it's safe.
On the surface Otjitotongwe Lodge has the trappings one might expect to find on any farm, let alone one in Africa. There was the rusted-out jeep needing countless hours of repair, and the towering windmill slowly pumping irrigation water to the land; making things seem oddly familiar. Yet behind this façade, what made this destination truly unique to the traveller would quickly reveal itself.
Briskly pacing back and forth outside the main house surrounded by a high chain-link more commonly seen around a penitentiary, was the reason for the long days journey here. The black markings that form below the eyes circling around the cheeks and nose, resembling tears of mascara, couldn't be mistaken for anything but the identifying features of the cheetah.
Once inside, it wasn't long before several spotted creatures appeared out of nowhere, gamboling gracefully alongside you like a loyal house pet, unabashed, and like myself, equally intrigued.
There was no sense of fear or danger, but instead, a euphoric exhilaration that you were part of something few would ever experience in their lifetime. The other travellers in the group seemed equally aghast, but there was a sense of nervous anxiety as if a bee was buzzing too close and they didn't want to get stung.
What brought these animals here, away from the freedom of the boundless landscape of Namibia is the story of the Nel family cheetah farm. It is both an inspiration to the human spirit and yet another tragic story of man and nature on a collision course.
Under the watchful guidance of Mario Nel, the eldest son of the farm's owner, he is quick to remind us, that even domesticated, these animals can be dangerous if provoked. They still possess an uninhibited instinct to be wild and one must be wary of simple actions like staring into their eyes, something seen by them as a form of intimidation.
Commonly mistaken for the leopard because of its similar spotted markings, the cheetah, the worlds fastest land animal, is surprisingly under no protection from the Namibian government. Known to prey on farmer's livestock, it is commonplace that they are simply shot as a nuisance.
|
|
Facing a similar problem, in 1994 the Nel family watched many of their own livestock killed in the same manner. They opted to capture rather than destroy the cheetah, hoping to simply transport and re-release them back into the wild where they could do no harm. This gesture they soon learned, would prove futile.
With much of Namibia's arable land being adapted for farming, the cheetah is slowly being pushed out of it's habitat and only known means of survival. Government bureaucracy denies permission for these animals to be relocated outside the country to areas which would benefit from them being reintroduced and therefore protected.
Facing the dilemma of what to do with a captive cheetah, the pregnant female would soon give birth to a litter and the choice to raise them became the only option. The family now began the arduous task of dedicating their lives to preserving this species. Some 24 wild and domesticated cheetahs now make the farm their home, many of which were captured before they fell victim to the end of a gun barrel.
Late afternoon brings the highlight of an overnight stay at the farm. With the setting African sun slowly painting the landscape a myriad of reds and golden hues, you are provided with an incredible backdrop to witness the feeding of the wild cheetahs.
Mario herds you into the back of his pickup truck driving deep into the property where a 40 hectare enclosure protects the remaining animals. Expecting to observe them through the mesh of a wire fence, gawking as if in a city zoo, I was set back when the gate to their enclosure was unlocked allowing us to continue further inside.
|
| 
| 
