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 It is the obvious direction to take - to be good to the land and those that live on it, and to ensure that the precious experience that is sold to safari travellers is not trodden into the ground.
Runners’ up in this category were: Children in the Wilderness (Namibia) and the David Sheldrick Trust Animal Orphanage (Kenya). The Namibian Tourism Board (NTB) won the 'Best Tourism Board in Africa' award.
Photographs from top:
The prestigious Safari Awards Winners badge.
Tristan Boehme from the AfriCat Foundation was on hand to receive our award. He was flown to Durban at the last minute after hearing that we were one of three finalists.
Liezel Wild and Tristan Boehme pose with the awards for the 'Best Tourism Board' and 'Best Wildlife/ Charity Organisation' respectively.
2011 Health Check a resounding success
 Every year the AfriCat Team, including our supporting veterinarian Dr. Mark Jago, undertakes a health check on the resident cheetah, leopard, spotted hyaena & wild dogs at our Carnivore Care Centre based on Okonjima farm. The lions of the AfriCat North Care Centre will undergo a similar health check in June - they will be joined by the three lions from AfriCat central who are being relocated to their new home on farm Kaross, along the south-western boundary of the Etosha National Park.
Apart from the regular treatment against internal parasites (in powder or fluid form in their portion of meat) and the annual rabies vaccinations (administered via pole syringe or dart), any physical examinations and surgery must be done under anaesthetic.
In preparation for these examinations, individual animals in the Care Centre are identified according to routine and specific needs which may have arisen such as contraception, eye infections or abnormalities, worn or broken dentition, serious injuries and any other obvious symptoms indicating poor health, observed during our daily rounds.
For a number of years, specialist veterinarians have been invited to share their expertise or to contribute to valuable research during our health checks and 2011 was no exception. 
Dr. Henk Bertschinger, a wildlife reproduction specialist based in South Africa, returned to AfriCat for the 14th time to monitor reproductive efficiency (in males, measuring testicular size and sperm count) and to re-administer contraceptives in both female and male cheetah. The use of contraception, administered subcutaneously (under the skin) every 12-18 months, instead of sterilisation of these valuable carnivores, enables us to reverse the effects should individuals be rehabilitated, released into the wild and breeding be permitted.
Dr. Jago, an AfriCat Trustee as well as our 'go-to' vet when expert advice is needed, and this year assisted by Dr Karl-Heinz Moeller, keeps all running smoothly during these health checks, adeptly anaesthetising nervous individuals, thoroughly examining each carnivore and whilst administering a necessary drip preventing dehydration, keenly offers information to the enthusiastic visitor who has come to AfriCat especially for this once-in-a-lifetime experience……to see one of the big cats close enough to touch!
 The 2011 AfriCat Health Check not only involved veterinarians but also an effective, enthusiastic support Team (boasting the new team colours and logo) comprising family members, tour guides & volunteers as well as supporters from all parts of the globe. Once the selected cheetah has been darted, monitoring begins: the anaesthetised animal's temperature and respiration must be carefully observed, eye ointment administered and an 'airline eye-pad' tied to its face to protect the open eyes; another group stand in wait as the vehicle arrives at the Clinic, tenderly carrying the sleeping cat to the examination table; there, another group of supporters powder and comb whilst Drs. Jago, Bertschinger and Moeller carry out the necessary procedures.
Following vaccinations, blood sampling and finally weighing on the scale, it is time to place the sleeping cat into its transport box, where it will be monitored until completely recovered.
This year a total of 27 Cheetah and 4 Wild Dogs were treated in the 3-day health check; four cheetah and the wild dogs were returned to the 16 000 ha wilderness area, where their progress in adapting to life in the bush is regularly monitored.
The remaining cheetah were all given a clean bill of health; some will continue to be ambassadors for AfriCat at the Care Centre and a select few will be prepared for rehabilitation and the next possible release into the Okonjima Reserve.
Thanks to all who helped to make the 2011 Health Check a resounding success.
Photographs from top:
PAWS volunteers assist with the offloading of cheetah at the AfriCat clinic.
Dr Moeller darted and treated the wild dogs on site in the 16 000ha reserve so as to minimise trauma to the animals. Janek and Ryno were on hand to monitor the vital signs of each wild dog.
 Dr Jago encourages one of the volunteers to listen to the heartbeat of the cheetah under anaesthetic.
Volunteers from Steppes Discovery had the rare hands-on opportunity to assist at all stages of the health check.
The entire 2011 Health Check team were relieved after 3 days of hard work and are to be congratulated for a job well done.
The Siblings - One Year On
By AJ Rousseau – AfriCat team member
It is amazing to think that it has been almost a year since we released the first cheetahs into the 16000 ha reserve. They now have become a household name - The Siblings.
Funnily enough they are actually not siblings. The only two that are related are Spud and Coco. Hammer and Bones have no relation to the other two or to each other, but the name has stuck. Frankie, who was part of the original group, was attacked by a leopard last year and died from his injuries. Since then the coalition known as 'The Siblings'' consists of four male cheetah and 1 female.
Last year was quite an amazing year for me - tracking 'The Siblings' almost every day. The following is based on my observations over a period of 12 months.
 We were able to see how they hunt and also what they hunt. We learned that they use their numbers to take down larger prey, like oryx and kudu. We also learned that in the beginning they do not know how to kill properly and their first kills most probably died of blood loss rather than being suffocated. All this was new to us seeing that cheetah rehabilitation has never been done on such a large scale. As time went by they did master the throttling technique and their kills started to be quicker as well as more effective.
Up to December 2010 we recorded about 64 kills in a period of about 191 days - an average of one kill per 2.98 days. That at the time was very good and more than enough to feed four cheetahs. Then in January when the rains came, things started to change. By end of February we started to see that the cats were struggling. They did not make kills that often and the rate went from one kill every three days, to one kill every 7 days. In theory they would not be able to survive with one meal every 7 days so I am sure a lot of small kills were made feeding only the cat that caught it. Most of the roads became un-driveable and following the cats became a nightmare. We were not able to follow them as intensely as we did during the winter months but the evidence was there. They started to stay with their kills longer again, up to four days at a time, while in the winter months they stayed no longer than 48 hours. The tall grass and thick bush played a role in that. Also during the rainy season the game do not have to come to water points since water is available everywhere. One also has to keep in mind that there is no medium sized prey in the park like impala or springbok so for a large coalition the only option is to hunt kudu, oryx or hartebeest.
On four occasions we had no other option but to feed The Siblings. The food they were hunting in the long grass was just not enough to sustain them. Taking into account that we had to subsidize the diet of all animals in rehabilitation, it seems that the rain comes a blessing for the herbivores but a curse for the carnivores.
 Another interesting observation is that during the winter months the cheetahs moved all over the reserve and covered almost every corner of the park, but since January they have stayed in the area surrounding the district road at the entrance of the reserve. It might be because we cleared a lot of bush in that area creating open grassland which is the preferred habitat for cheetahs. The other two cheetah in the reserve, Toby and Tongs, also seem to be hanging out in the same area as well as in the area around the villa. So one can argue that to make the reserve more cheetah-friendly we will have to make de-bushing one of the priorities for the near future.
In conclusion it looks like the rehabilitation of cheetah is possible for some groups but not for all. It also depends on each individual cat since hunting is just one of the factors that play a role. Being able to run away from larger predators is also very important in the wild and it would appear that larger groups seem to be doing better than smaller ones. Single cheetahs also seem to do better hunting smaller prey but have fewer eyes for spotting danger.
 Finally, it is clear that for any cheetah to be able to survive outside our reserve they must be able to hunt, stay away from larger carnivores and be able to adapt to different seasons.
Pictures from top:
The Siblings have provided many hours of satisfying viewing for visitors since their release. Guests have the opportunity to track the cheetah on foot in the 16 000ha reserve and the rare chance to see these cats in their own territory.
Bones was brought to AfriCat as a cub and stayed in the Carnivore Care Centre until 2010 when he was released into the reserve for his first taste of relative freedom.
 Coco and Spud are popular sightings in the reserve, thoroughly enjoying the wide open space. All of The Siblings are monitored closely to see that thay are hunting successfully and managing to feed themselves adequately. This is an important part of the research being undertaken into the viability of releasing cheetah back into the wild.
Hammer is a handsome cat and has always been a strong contender for release into the reserve. Our judgement has proved correct, and he is thriving in the wild.
The Siblings as a group manage to hunt to feed themselves. They are often seen basking in the late afternoon sun following a successful day's roaming.
 Visitors to Okonjima drive through the 16 000ha reserve on their way to the lodge and many are blessed with the sighting of the siblings that roam freely in this area.
Tracking Toby
Report by Tristan Boehme – AfriCat Team member
Last year, with the help of donations and support from sponsors, investors and the John Wolfe legacy left to The AfriCat Foundation, we were finally able to complete the fencing of Okonjima's 16 000 ha Private Reserve.
 At 8:30 am on Saturday, 24 July 2010, Toby and his 2 sisters, Zen and Zippy cautiously walked into the new park and their first taste of life in the wild.
On tracking Toby in late April 2011, three months short of his one year of survival in the park, we noticed Toby had a very teary eye. Monitoring this for a few days we decide to dart him and have the eye checked. The timing could not have been better as the 2011 annual Health Check was about to start. Veterinarian Dr. Karl Heinz Moeller and AJ, armed with a dart-gun, some basic meds and a tracking device on 2 quadbikes, made their way through heavy vegetation and across wet and muddy roads to try and find Toby in the 16 000ha reserve.
Back at the Clinic, Dr Mark Jago, Team AfriCat and volunteers eagerly awaited Toby's arrival. Dr Jago examined the eye and from the first observation we all immediately could see it seemed like a typical 'sickle-bush' wound - a corneal wound – the eye is ripped or sliced by a thorn or branch during the typical charge at high speed during a hunt.
 Cheetah stay focused on their prey as they speed towards them. Even a blade of grass at 60 to 90 km per hour can cause such an injury. The best Dr Jago could do was to clean the wound, and lubricate and protect the eye and cornea by stitching the third-eyelid up over the eye. Toby was also given a course of antibiotics for the next 5 days. We added the extra dose of TLC.
Cat eye specialist and veterinarian Dr. Gary Bauer summarises the issue as follows: "Over the past years a number of cheetah in Namibia have been examined ophthalmologically. Equipment used during this examination included a slit lamp biomicroscope, indirect and direct ophthalmoscope, Schiotz tonometer, fluorescein stain and Gonioscopy lens. A number of cheetah were anaesthetized for the annual health check at the AfriCat Foundation in Namibia, or were examined at the time of presentation for blindness. A high incidence of ocular trauma ranging from mild scarring of the lids and or cornea, through to mature cataracts, severe endophthalmitis and phthisis bulbi was found. It is theorized that this is as a result of the cheetah being forced to hunt in bush encroached areas – a habitat not ideally suited to the hunting methods of the cheetah. Blindness or severe visual impairment spells death for a wild cheetah, and could thus impact greatly on the sustainability of the wild cheetah population of Namibia.
 It was shown beyond doubt in this study that there is a high incidence of ocular trauma in wild free-living cheetah in Namibia. This trauma was as a result of thorn or foliage damage to the lids, nictitans and cornea. The latter being the most significant as there was a high incidence of evidence of penetrating corneal injury leading to either uveitis with secondary cataract formation, or direct damage of the anterior capsule of the lens with posterior synechiae formation and cataracts.
It is of concern that the incidence, severity and consequences of ocular trauma is of such a nature that it could impact severely on the longevity of a Cheetah in a bush encroached environment. As similar incidences of ocular trauma are not found in lion and Leopard populations in the preliminary studies done, and the fact that these cats generally live in thicker bush habitat than the cheetah, it is surmised that factors are present which are adversely affecting the health of the cheetah's eyes in the wild. It is proposed from this study that the anatomy of the Cheetah's skull, its large forward facing exposed eyes, its body designed for speed rather than stealth hunting and its hunting habits predominantly in the day make it the ideal hunter for open grassland or plains type areas. As the Cheetah in Namibia is being restricted to overgrazed, bush encroached areas, it is forced to hunt in this type of vegetation, leading to the encountered high incidence of ocular trauma."
 Twelve days after the eye operation a milky greyness was still present but the infection was gone. Dr Jago's diagnosis was that the corneal wound had healed well. What is difficult to assess is how much vision there will be in the eye due to the damage and infection within the eye. Unfortunately there is little more that can practically be done about this.
Toby has been released into the reserve again and he is being closely monitored by the AfriCat Team. If he fails to hunt successfully and loses weight, he may have to come back into captivity. We will continue to track his well-being and report on his development as a rehabilitation success story.
Footnote: Sadly both Zen & Zippy were killed by leopard in the reserve earlier this year. Toby somehow survived both attacks and became a very successful hunter.
Pictures from top:
Dr Moeller administers the drip to Toby, a cheetah from the rehabilitation programme in the 16 000ha reserve.
Toby was brought to the clinic for an eye injury. Here one can clearly see the milkiness of the right eye.
Dr Jago expertly stitches the third eyelid over the injured eye.
The magnified area in this picture clearly shows the laceration to the eye.
Fresh new Foundation
by Mark Reinecke, Chairperson – AfriCat Foundation Board of Trustees
 A new vision has been created for the AfriCat Foundation and in order to implement this vision it was also deemed necessary to reorganise the AfriCat Board of Trustees. A larger, more broad-based Board would be better able to represent the various stakeholders of the Foundation, as well as provide differing skill sets and fresh perspectives to the Foundation.
At a meeting of the Board of Trustees on 9 April 2011, Wayne Hanssen, as proprietor of Okonjima and Dr. Mark Jago veterinarian for the Ministry of Environment and Tourism as well as to the AfriCat Foundation were carried over from the old Board and the following individuals added:
- Donna Hanssen - has brought her considerable skills to bear in the reorganisation of AfriCat, particularly in raising the Foundation's profile and bringing it closer to Okonjima's guests. She is responsible for the new image which the Foundation now represents.
 Mark Reinecke, Chairperson - a lawyer by training, is also a part-owner for the past 14 years of Farm Ombujongwe, which has been brought into the Okonjima Conservancy and now serves as an integral part of AfriCat's release programmes. - Tristan Boehme - has worked at Okonjima for more than 12 years and has been the face of Okonjima in Europe. He is responsible for creating the newly invigorated guest experience at the AfriCat Foundation.
- Kathleen Newton, Treasurer - her experience with, and knowledge of, other trusts as well as her understanding of Namibia's business community shall prove invaluable.
- Tammy Hoth, Director: AfriCat Foundation - will be the public face of the Foundation in Namibia and will interact with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, as well as with local supporters and donors.
- Karen Codling, Secretary - responsible for maintaining the Board records of the Foundation. Karen has worked for and with the UN since 1990.
 Catherine Bryan, residing in the U.K., represents the Foundation in the U.K. Catherine is an experienced fund raiser, and has successfully aligned AfriCat with the Tusk Trust. Through this alliance, AfriCat is able to channel its fund-raising efforts through Tusk Trust's support structure and administrative infrastructure – further, the Foundation benefits from Tusk Trust's high profile and its status as a celebrated and respected conservation organisation.
A Management Committee of the Board was set up comprising of Donna Hanssen and Tristan Boehme representing the trustees, in addition to the Executive Director (Tammy Hoth) and Office Manager (Jo Rogge). The establishment of this committee permits day-to-day decisions of the Foundation to be effected efficiently and smoothly. With a freshly renovated office, the Management Committee has created a renewed impetus for moving AfriCat forward.
Pictures from top:
 The new Board of Trustees from left: Dr Mark Jago, Tristan Boehme, Karen Codling, Kathleen Newton, Wayne Hanssen, Mark Reinecke, Tammy Hoth, Donna Hanssen. Dr Laura Jago also attended the meeting.
Mark and Karen also spent a few days relaxing at Farm Ombujongwe after the meeting.
The AfriCat administrative office and premises have had a complete facelift.
Tristan points out a detail of the educational display to volunteer Euan Ramsay.
Twiggy: an AfriCat success story
Report by Donna Hanssen – Africat Team
 Twiggy was two and a half years old when she arrived at AfriCat in a horrendous condition. She was caught by a farmer and kept in captivity for 4 months and not fed properly. She was emaciated, malnourished and about 12kg underweight.
She stayed in our Carnivore Care Centre for about two and a half years and then was finally released into the Okonjima Private Reserve on 17 June 2010. She was a shy cheetah with a fighting spirit and started hunting immediately after being released.
Twiggy was one of the cats that became famous when the ITV film crew chose her to be one of their stars for their Cheetah Kingdom television documentary, filmed in the reserve last year.
The AfriCat Rehabilitation Programme gives captive cheetahs the opportunity to hone their hunting skills and become self-sustaining in a protected area. Either orphaned at an early age, or recovered from either starvation or injury – most of these cats have missed out on all that they should have learnt from their mother while growing up – not only the hunting skills and techniques but the essential "life skills" needed to survive in the wild; lessons often being hard and unfortunately, sometimes fatal.
 Although hunting is instinctive in carnivores, many of the cheetahs at AfriCat lack experience due to being orphaned or removed from the wild at an early age. This inexperience, as well as their conditioning to captivity, makes them unsuitable for release back onto farmland.
The captive cheetahs are fitted with radio-collars prior to their release into the reserve, so that their welfare and progress can be closely monitored.
Once they have proved that they can hunt for themselves and cope on their own, they can be relocated to a private game reserve, where their progress will continue to be monitored.
Twiggy's previous experience in the bush was the reason she adapted to the wild so quickly. The techniques her mother taught her were not lost during the time she spent in captivity. The reason she was given that second chance was because she was never really tamed and stayed nervous when around people.
 Sadly Twiggy was killed by one of the territorial leopards in the reserve on the 12th of January 2011. We are certain that she enjoyed her taste of freedom and life in the wild.
R.I.P Twiggy – you were one helluva cat!
Pictures from the top:
This picture shows Twiggy as she looked shortly after her arrival at AfriCat. She was kept under strict observation as she was fed and nursed back to health.
The severe neglect and maltreatment is evident in this picture of Twiggy taken when she was brought into the clinic for treatment.
A healthy, happy cheetah. Twiggy as she looked in her prime after her release into the Okonjima Private Reserve. She was a true survivor and managed to hunt for herself during her time living as a free cat.
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The hard work and impact made by AfriCat has been recognized by the judging panel of the Good Safari Awards. Leading a diverse field of established African conservation projects, AfriCat was crowned 'Best Wildlife Organisation' on the continent. The team at AfriCat and Okonjima are thrilled to have been recognized for what they do and look forward to introducing more international guests to their unique project in Namibia.
The purpose of The Safari Awards is to recognise excellence amongst the very best safari lodges and operators in Africa. This means each category winner has been given the highest recommendation by those people whose job is to know Safari lodges & conservation projects connected to communities & tourism, because their livelihood depends on their knowledge.
