The Armstrong family, avid wildlife lovers and regular visitors to the Mountain Zebra National Park near Cradock in the Eastern Cape, accompanied a specialist team from SANParks on 2 May to re-collar a 4-year-old resident cheetah named CJ.
The old collar worn by CJ was about to run out, prompting Anthony and Martine Armstrong to boost the conservation effort by donating a new collar. These are fitted with VHF telemetry that enables park officials to track and monitor animals throughout the park.
According to Dr David Zimmermann, SANParks veterinarian, the ability to track animals within parks is crucial to their management and protection. “The new collar will aid us in tracking CJ, ensuring her continued well-being within the park,” he said.
The donation of the collar further emphasises the importance of community involvement in safeguarding wildlife, and contributions such as these not only ensures the continuous monitoring of endangered animals, but also strengthens the bond between SANParks and its dedicated visitors.
As a special gesture regional ecologist Dr Charlene Bissett has offered Anthony and Martine the opportunity to name some of CJ’s 10-month-old cubs. “Our first encounter was with Angela, CJ’s mother, in 2018,” said Anthony. “We have eagerly followed the family, and one of the highlights was the arrival of CJ’s four cubs. As a family we are absolutely thrilled to be a small part of this amazing story. Being able to name some of the cubs is both an honour and a privilege. Protecting and preserving our wildlife is a cause that is very close to our hearts and we are grateful for the opportunity to support the important work being done here.”. The Mountain Zebra National Park (MZNP) is currently home to eight cheetahs, four of whichare collared, and it is the only national park offering cheetah-tracking activity, the wildlife sought out by activity guides through the use of a VHF telemetry device. If guests are lucky enough they could get to within 40 m of one or more cheetahs in their natural habitat. They also help park management gather ecological data for research purposes, which helps in the management of the species.
MZNP first reintroduced cheetah in 2007 with two females from the nearby Samara Game Reserve. This was after being absent from the plains of the Karoo for 130 years. It is South African National Parks (SANParks) policy to reintroduce wildlife species that would have occurred in an area before hunting or habitat loss forced them to local extinction in earlier centuries. Two males were introduced not long after to form a breeding population.
