12/03/2022

The cheetah is a truly unique wild cat, and its lifestyle is full of surprises and mysteries. Males live alone or in unions, females adopt other female’s cubs and raise litters together. Cheetahs swim across rapid rivers and survive in arid deserts, dense forests and rocky mountains. They travel over 20 km under cover of night and successfully hunt at any time of day, including in complete darkness. To escape predators, they climb trees or hide behind rangers’ and tourists’ cars. And how many more mysteries does the cheetah keep! In every region, every country, the cheetah shows miracles of adaptability, and at the same time experiences various challenges. Knowing a species better means knowing how to preserve it most effectively. This is why it is so important to study this vulnerable species wherever it remains. And on this day, we sincerely thank everyone who helps us study and preserve the cheetah: respected permitters and supportive partners, dedicated rangers and collaborative colleagues, knowledgeable guides and mindful community members, and all our dear sponsors and donors! All together we are doing an important work, preserving the cheetah for future generations.

11/25/2024

The success of the cubs depends largely on the success of the mother, since as they grow older, the cubs learn from her example. Nashipae’s cubs are now 16 months old and exhibit good hunting abilities. Most often, young females are more successful in hunting than males. But the Nashipae’s family is one of the few exceptions. The brother of Neema and Nashipae was the most successful of Rani’s three cubs, and Nashipae’s son also hunts on his own. Rani was one of the few females who often caught Warthog piglets, and Nashipae uses every opportunity to get a piglet, and her offspring follow her example. However, this is not an easy task, as adult warthogs are extremely protective and often take on cheetahs as a family. When hunting antelopes, the Nashipae’s cubs use a strategy of driving the antelopes into a ravine, where they are easier to catch. This is especially important now that Nashipay is limping on her back and front legs, especially after an unsuccessful jump from a tree 9 days ago. And while the female is recovering, now it largely depends on the young how often the family will be fed. When food is scarce, cheetahs eat the stomach lining and skin of antelopes. A large family requires more food every day. Therefore, on the one hand, family life requires sharing kills, but on the other hand, it provides the least successful hunters with food, and all members of the group share their time for vigilance, which contributes to the survival of all group members.

11/20/2024

September and October saw the arrival of five new shy males in the Mara – two in the southwestern part of the Mara (Mara Triangle) and three in the northern part of the Mara ecosystem (Ol Choro Oiroua Conservancy). In the first half of October, three young males, approximately 2 years old, appeared in the dense forest on the hill slopes near the Rhino Sanctuary. Rangers discovered this coalition in the same area where they first found Siankiki with her three cubs in December 2023. By now, three shy males are gradually expanding into new territories and have already been spotted in the Enonkishu, Lemek and Mara North Conservancies. Like the female and her cubs, these males demonstrate remarkable adaptations for thriving in dense forest. Although they roam in open areas, they prefer to rest and hunt in the hills, which reduces the risk of cheetahs being disturbed by predators and humans. In open areas, cheetahs are quickly spotted by rival predators. For example, hyenas can follow cheetahs for hours to take away their prey if they are hunting. This encourages the cheetahs to move to escape their pursuers. For now, these males remain shy, but over time they will get used to the presence of cars (as they have already gotten used to the rangers). Then they will feel more comfortable in open spaces and become more accessible for observation.

11/02/2024

Olonyok and Winda – two males from the famous Mara coalition Tano Bora recently turned 10 years old, which is a very significant age for nature. Living together has a number of advantages, such as bringing down a wide variety of prey – from hares to adult Topi. Therefore, there is always a risk of getting hurt by sharp horns or getting injured by the tusks of a warthog protecting piglets. Olonyok is a very successful hunter, but despite his wealth of experience, he has not escaped injury. When we found the males three days ago, Olonyok had an open wound on his right hind limb, but he was active and leading Winda. We notified the park management and veterinarians and continued to monitor the males. The next day it became clear that Olonyok’s condition had deteriorated significantly – he was lying down all the time and did not follow Winda during the hunt. We prefer not to interfere if the cheetah can successfully hunt and fend for itself in the event of danger. But in some cases it is necessary to assist the cheetah with non-invasive methods so that he has the opportunity to regain his strength. Dr. Njoroge quickly responded and provided emergency assistance, remotely administering an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory. Winda was nearby all the time. The next day, Olonyok was active and the swelling in his hind limb had gone down significantly. Today, there was no swelling and Olonyok has resumed his role as a leader and decision maker. The males spent the daytime in a closed area, and with the onset of darkness began to move. We are very grateful to the park management and the team of David Sheldrick for the prompt assistance to the cheetah. To conserve a species, many factors are important to consider, including habitat conservation, but with only about 7,000 cheetahs left in the wild, the life of each cheetah plays an important role in the conservation of the species.

10/29/2024

Due to the fact that the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem has no physical barriers to the movement of animals, new cheetahs appear in the Mara every few months – most often males, in the process of exploring new territories. During migration, cheetahs come to the Mara following wildebeest and other ungulates. Cheetahs that come from Serengeti are usually very shy, unlike the cheetahs of the Mara, who are tolerant of the activity of tourist cars. Our long-term observations have shown that to be successful in the Mara (resting, hunting and raising young in peace), cheetahs must be tolerant of tourist vehicles. This September, a new coalition of two very shy males appeared in the Mara Triangle. It is interesting that the maximum number of cheetahs observed in the Triangle in different years is 10. Perhaps the reason is the carrying capacity of this Conservancy. Hopefully, these males will be able to enrich the gene pool of the Mara cheetah population.