Cheetahs return to Majete in Malawi

I am pleased to share that a small founder population of cheetahs has been successfully translocated from South Africa to Majete Wildlife Reserve, thanks to our partnership with Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) and a collaboration with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). Cheetahs were entirely absent from the country for over twenty years before we undertook their reintroduction to Liwonde National Park in 2017. By bringing cheetahs back to Majete, we have achieved another important step in transforming the once-depleted ecosystem into a thriving reserve while supporting wider predator conservation efforts in the region.

Four carefully selected animals originating from Welgevonden, Samara and Dinokeng Game Reserves and Rietvlei Nature Reserve in South Africa were flown to Lilongwe, and made the journey by road to Majete wherethey were released into enclosures yesterday evening on July 25th. The cheetahs are in good health and we expect them to do well in this environment, with habitat and prey conditions optimal and measures in place to ensure their ongoing conservation and protection. They will remain in the enclosures for a month-long period enabling their gradual acclimation before release into the wider reserve.

Cheetahs have unfortunately been eradicated from 90 percent of their historic range in Africa, and as few as 6,700 remain in the wild. It is projects like these that show how effective management of protected areas, political commitment and partnerships can aid in the recovery and protection of a species in decline to secure its future on the continent.

African Parks: African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities. With the largest counter-poaching force and the most amount of area under protection for any one NGO in Africa, African Parks manages 15 national parks and protected areas in nine countries covering over 10.5 million hectares in Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia. For more information visit www.africanparks.org, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Malawi Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW): African Parks and Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) have been working closely together to rehabilitate habitat and restore biodiversity to the country’s parks since 2003, when a public-private partnership was formed for the management of Majete. African Parks subsequently assumed management of Liwonde (and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve) in partnership with DNPW in 2015, following the successful track record achieved in Majete.

Endangered Wildlife Trust: The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has worked tirelessly for over 45 years to save wildlife and habitats, with its vision being a world in which both humans and wildlife prosper in harmony with nature. From the smallest frog, to the majestic rhino; from sweeping grasslands to arid drylands; from our shorelines to winding rivers: the EWT is working with you, to protect our world. The EWT’s team of field-based specialists is spread across southern and East Africa, where committed conservation action is needed the most. Working with its partners, including businesses and governments, the EWT is at the forefront of conducting applied research, supporting community conservation and livelihoods, training and building capacity, addressing human wildlife conflict, monitoring threatened species and establishing safe spaces for wildlife range expansion. Find out more at http://www.ewt.org.za.