Tshwane welcomes new male cheetah to Rietvlei Nature Reserve
The City of Tshwane, along with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, has introduced a new male cheetah to the Rietvlei Nature Reserve.
Six-year-old Thaba was added to the reserve on Tuesday as part of a project aimed at maintaining the generic and demographic integrity of cheetahs on 61 fenced sites across the country.
The animal was previously moved from the Mount Camdeboo Priavte Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape to the Shambalala Reserve in Limpopo.
The latest move was informed by “breeding purposes”.
The mayor’s office says more than 400 other cheetahs are managed under the project.
“As part of the Cheetah Metapopulation Project, EWT decided to keep a breeding female at Rietvlei Nature Reserve on a permanent basis, while rotating males as and when required to lessen the impact of these predators on prey in the reserve,” says spokesperson Sipho Stuurman.
“Newborn cubs will be relocated to other nature reserves as they reach adulthood.
“Thabo is collared and will be monitored by the reserve’s conservation officials and we hope to welcome new cheetah cubs to the Cheetah Metapopulation Project soon,” Stuurman adds.
[WATCH] New male cheetah introduced to Rietvlei Nature Reserve @CityTshwane pic.twitter.com/043Sp2Ttqp
— Executive Mayor, Randall Williams (@tshwane_mayor) September 7, 2021
[PHOTOS] New male cheetah 🐆named Thaba introduced to Rietvlei Nature Reserve. @CityTshwane pic.twitter.com/8zxdbFwwLZ
— Executive Mayor, Randall Williams (@tshwane_mayor) September 7, 2021
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