Ask anyone about cheetahs, and they will mention their speed and that they are an iconic species of Africa.
Did you know, however, that as recently as eight decades ago, cheetahs were also found in India?
The last Asiatic cheetah to roam the subcontinent was believed to have been hunted down in 1947 by an Indian prince, and was declared officially extinct in the country in 1952.
This is something that has concerned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has instigated a recent programme to bring cheetahs back to the country.
So far, 12 cheetahs from SA and eight from Namibia have been flown to India after its top court ruled in 2020 that the species should be reintroduced.
Cheetahs are one of the oldest big cat species, with ancestors dating back about 8.5-million years.
They once roamed widely throughout Asia and Africa in great numbers.
But today, after their extinction from many countries across the Middle East and Asia, only around 7,000 remain, primarily in the African savannahs.
While SA is home to the third largest wild cheetah population worldwide, the species has been eradicated from 91% of their historical range, according to the Endangered Wildlife Trust.
With about 1,000 individual animals left in SA, the species is now classified as vulnerable.
With the spotted feline’s reintroduction in India marking the first intercontinental relocation of the planet’s fastest land animal, here in the Eastern Cape our own cheetah conservation programmes are under way.
At Kariega Game Reserve, their habitat expansion plan in the Bushman’s River Valley has seen the recent reintroduction of cheetah, while at Samara Reserve in the Karoo, a cheetah programme began as far back as 2004.
On the outskirts of Gqeberha, at the newly established Nyosi Wildlife Reserve, the Community Conservation Fund Africa (CCFA), in collaboration with specialist partners the Aspinall Foundation and the Metapopulation Initiative, has also just embarked on a ground-breaking rewilding programme to help secure the future of these magnificent creatures.
Recently the programme welcomed Nkanyiso, the very first captive cheetah to be part of this exciting initiative.
In April, this four-year-old female was carefully introduced to her rewilding enclosure at Nyosi, allowing her to gradually adapt to her new surroundings.
Since then, she has made tremendous progress.
Nkanyiso was born in the Limpopo region at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre where the cheetahs are earmarked for release at roughly three to four years of age.
The cheetahs at the centre are known for their pure bloodlines, which is important.
Because the cheetah species went through a “genetic bottleneck”, it is vital to co-ordinate their movement between the different reserves to preserve their genetic integrity.
This effort forms the basis of the cheetah metapopulation project.
Nkanyiso is also part of CCFA’s unique “Cheetah Champion” Programme.
For each cheetah that is rewilded, a local community member is empowered to become part of the conservation efforts taking place at Nyosi.
In Nkanyiso’s case, Anele Ntshiyane, an aspiring safari field guide from the CCFA youth development programme, will work alongside the team, equipping her with invaluable skills to begin her safari guiding career at Nyosi.
In turn, Anele serves as a wildlife conservation ambassador, inspiring her community adjacent to the reserve.
Nkanyiso was named by Anele, with her name meaning “light” in isiXhosa.
While African cheetahs are relocated to India, here in the Eastern Cape we are playing our part to ensure that this iconic species flourishes still on our own continent.
Dr Dean Allen is a best-selling author and keynote speaker. He is writing a book about the history of wildlife tourism in the Eastern Cape. Visit www.deanallen.co.za