OKONJIMA - THE CAT CHRONICLES
Eeny, Meeny, Miney and Mo, were rescued from a game farm in eastern Namibia and were the second group of cheetah to be released into the TUSK cheetah rehabilitation park. At the time this group of siblings was about a year old, just a little too young to be without their mother. Eeny, Meeny, Miney and Mo were fitted with radio-collars to facilitate tracking, which takes place on a regular basis. Their physical condition, movements, behaviour and hunting successes are monitored. Almost from the beginning they separated into two pairs. The cheetahs adapted well to their new environment and caught their first prey (a warthog) on the second day, nothing like an empty tummy to kickstart a keen interest in hunting.
After more than a year, they proved that they could cope on their own and maintain their self-sufficiency.
In late August 2002, an opportunity arose for one of the pairs to be relocated to a 25000-hectare private game reserve in the south of Namibia. Eeny and Meeny were anaesthetised and transported via road and air and put into a boma to recover from the anaesthetic. They remained there for 2 weeks to become acquainted with their new surroundings and ingest enough food to prepare them for the release into their new home. After their release their condition was monitored on a regular basis and the game reserve managers report they have adapted well.
Miney and Mo had stayed together since their introduction into the TUSK Cheetah Rehabilitation Park. Between them they had achieved some unexpected and remarkable hunts, bringing down large, adult antelope and working together to prey on Oryx and Zebra calves that were protected by a herd of adults. Sadly, on the 24th of February this year, it was one of these dramatic encounters that ended Miney’s life, with an Oryx horn piercing his heart. Four days passed before Mo left the spot where his brother had died. Mo seems not to have learnt any lessons from the experience resulting in his brother’s death and has continued to hunt Oryx on his own. He has not bonded with any of the other cheetah in the park but chooses to pass his days hunting in splendid isolation or relaxing at his favourite play tree.
Ben Forbes
