Happy New Year! As 2025 rolls in, so do three new cheetahs into Thula Thula!
In December 2024, Thula Thula welcomed three cheetahs to the game reserve. Cheetahs are the worlds fastest land animals, accelerating to speeds of almost 100km/h in just 3 seconds! With distinctive tear marks, and a sleek, spotted frame engineered for speed, cheetahs are an evolutionary marvel. Once abundant across the plains of Africa and the Indian subcontinent, less than 7000 exist in the wild today.
A few years ago Thula Thula got Savannah, the first cheetah in the Kwazulu Natal region in a long time. However, since she was the only cheetah that could actually be introduced to the game reserve at the time, it wasn't sustainable to extend the population and genetic diversity of this endangered species through just her. Now, with the introduction of two males, Amani and Asante, and a female, Ayana, hopefully cheetahs will soon be a self-sustaining part of the Thula Thula ecosystem.
Amani & Asante
Amani and Asante were born on the 12th of January 2022 to a free-roaming male cheetah, and a female cheetah named Njozi residing in the Garden Route Reserve in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The brothers, like other male cheetahs, are very close, and are often spotted together in the Boma. Read more about them in the information card below.
Amani and Asante Information Card | Credit: Thula Thula
First Image: Amani and Asante | Second Image: Amani | Credit: Thula Thula Ranger Victor
Ayana
Ayana, the female cheetah, was born on July 2022 in the Matlabas Game Reserve based in the Thambazimbi area in Limpopo, South Africa. Ayana is much more shy than the brothers, and there was worry as she hid in the bush didn't accept any food for the first few days upon arrival. However, slowly, she started accepting food and coming closer to the fence; her confidence continuing to grow day by day.
Unfortunately, upon arrival, it was discovered that her tracking collar had gotten stuck in her mouth, causing her a lot of pain. Thankfully, due to the quick action of Thula Thula vet Dr. Trever Vilijoen, the collar was removed and the wounds were treated well. A few days ago, she was successfully re-collared.
Ayana Information Card | Credit: Thula Thula
Ayana Breakfast Time | Credit: Thula Thula
Both Ayana | Credit: Thula Thula photographer Victor
Naming the Cheetahs
Francoise, the owner of Thula Thula, reached out to me to help name the new cheetahs, and I researched lots of names that meant "speed" in different languages. Eventually, she chose the names Amani, Asante and Ayana. Their names have Swahili origins, with Amani meaning "peace", and Asante meaning "thank you." Ayana means many things in many different cultures; across Africa, India, Japan, and even the Americas. But, the primary Swahili meaning is "wildflower." Ayana is also a female version of my name - Ayan. It is truly an honor to have a beautiful wild animal named after me, and I would have never imagined this happening just a few short years ago.
Reintroducing Cheetahs to India
On a separate note, cheetahs have been reintroduced to India after their extinction in the mid 20th century. In 2020, the supreme court agreed for small numbers of African cheetahs to be introduced to different parts of India. 8 cheetahs from Namibia were released into quarantined enclosure in the Kuno National Park in 2020, followed by an additional 12 from South Africa in 2023. Later that year, they were released into the wild. A cheetah gave birth to 4 cubs in March 2023, the first recorded cheetah birth in India in more than 70 years. While the project has had ups and downs, and the jury is still out on whether it has been successful or not, India has had a good run with wildcat conservation over the past half-century. Project Tiger is a great example of one of the most successful conservation efforts in the world, and so I am very hopeful that Project Cheetah will follow suit.
Cheetah Art
When I heard these cheetahs were arriving, I immediately wanted to help ensure their safety and survival at Thula Thula. To do this, I adopted the three cheetahs, which means that Thula Thula gets money to contribute to the purchase of tracking collars for all three cheetahs. These collars enable Thula Thula to monitor their movements, ensure their assimilation into the environment, and eventually (hopefully) their breeding. I am very grateful for all my supporters and donators who have made this possible! If you would like to contribute more to cheetah conservation, consider purchasing my Savannah the Cheetah cards, or any other artwork.
Savannah the Cheetah, Greeting Cards
I wish the best for Asante, Amani, Ayana, and all the cheetahs in India, and I hope that cheetahs will be a common sight in Thula Thula and across their ancient homelands soon!
コメント