It’s that time of year again when the reserve smells like fermenting fruit, and the elephants are losing their minds and their manners over marula trees.
We started the morning with a massive bull who seemed to be weighing up his options. Elephants can be awfully destructive when they want the “good stuff” at the top. It’s not mindless; it’scalculated, but only in that moment, and does not involve any foresight. After a few half-hearted shakes that didn’t yield enough results, he decided the entire tree was better off horizontal. It’s tragic to us onlookers, but when you’re five tons, and you need to eat, you do what it takes.
Leaving the elephants to their feast, we made a dash across the property. Tayla had found a male cheetah, which we don’t exactly get daily. When we arrived, the tension was thick. We could only see a herd of Impala looking entirely too relaxed for their own good.
A flash of spots and scattering of impalas, ending in a successful hunt. But, as is often the case for the fastest animal out here, the victory was fleeting. The “tax men” were lurking.
After the chaos of the morning, the afternoon took a rather relaxed, calm route. We found ourselves parked at a waterhole, and frankly, we didn’t leave until the sun hit the horizon.
There is something strangely hypnotic about watching an African Jacana, the ultimate “single dad” of the bird world, navigate lily pads with three tiny, leggy chicks in tow. Combine that with a Common Moorhen family, and you have enough to keep you occupied for hours.
Enjoy This Virtual Safari…
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Eleven cheetah cubs were rescued from illegal trade in Somaliland in what a conservationist described on Thursday as “one of the largest confiscations of the species.”
The cubs were packed in bags that resembled sacks of potatoes and were being transported in a small dhow off the Somaliland coast at Berbera when the local coast guard intercepted them on Sunday.
Two locals and three Yemenis were arrested during the rescue operation, and the cheetahs were taken to a rescue center owned by the Cheetah Conservation Fund, or CCF.
In a social medial post, CCF said its staff “worked around the clock to stabilize the cubs – and are continuing to rehabilitate the cats.” The group also released photos of some of the animals.
Snapshots of a #cheetah rescue in Somaliland. 🐾 These cubs were part of a group of ten cheetahs rescued last month, and transferred to the Cheetah Rescue and Conservation Centre (CRCC). The cubs ranged in age from just a few weeks old to approximately seven months old, and… pic.twitter.com/dPGzlrS6lQ
Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, is a major transit hub for the illegal wildlife trade. Hundreds of cheetahs and leopards from the Horn of Africa have been transported to Gulf countries through the Gulf of Aden.
Possession of wildlife is illegal in Somaliland, and police often crack down on suspected traders.
In August, local authorities arrested two people and rescued another 10 cheetah cubs that were destined for the Gulf.
CCF founder Laurie Marker said the rescued cubs were “very malnourished” and were being reintroduced to food slowly, starting with fluids.
“The cubs were in very poor condition,” she said. “One died only a few hours after arriving at CCF’s center, although in ICU and critical care administered. Another died the next day under same conditions. Two others are in critical care, one of which is in very bad state. The other seven are responding.”
Marker, whose center now has 128 rescued cheetahs, said the illegal trade in cheetahs was driving the species into extinction.
“Cheetahs are not pets. They are wild animals, top predators and play an important role in the ecosystem,” she said. “Wildlife belongs in the wild. Please help us stop the illegal wildlife pet trade in cheetahs and other wildlife species being illegally traded around the world.”
The rescue of cubs is “critical” in the fight to save the cheetah from extinction, Marker said, adding: “With fewer than 7,000 cheetahs left in the wild, we can’t afford to lose a single one to the illegal pet trade.”
In this photo released by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC), rescued cheetah cubs are seen in cages in Berbera, Somaliland, a semi-autonomous region of Somalia, on Sep. 28, 2025.
AP
Conservationists in the Horn of Africa have previously expressed concern over the rise in demand for exotic pets in Gulf countries and the resulting illegal trade affecting ecosystems in Horn of Africa nations.
Found in isolated pockets of Eastern and Southern Africa as well as a very small population in Asia, cheetahs are not considered a danger to humans, CBS Miami reported. However, their biggest threat is human conflict as they are often shot by farmers who consider them a threat to their livestock.
Cheetahs are usually daytime hunters, but the speedy big cats will shift their activity toward dawn and dusk hours during warmer weather, a 2023 study found. Unfortunately for endangered cheetahs, that sets them up for more potential conflicts with mostly nocturnal competing predators such as lions and leopards, according to research published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Two male African cheetahs – part of the group brought to India from Namibia – made their first kill within a day of being released into a larger enclosure at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. The cheetahs named Freddie and Elton killed a spotted deer (Cheetal) sometime between late Sunday and early Monday, the park officials said.
Both Freddie and Elton were being held in a smaller enclosure since they arrived from Africa. It was in line with the quarantine rule that says wild animals must be quarantined in a small enclosure for a month before and after being shifted to a different country. The protocol is to prevent the spread of any infection.
On Saturday, they were released from quarantine into a 98-acre enclosure and they made the first kill within 24 hours, which means they are blending well into the new environment.
The officials have said that the other six cheetahs will be released shortly and that they are being kept in separate enclosures and are being fed buffalo meat.
There are five female cheetahs aged between two and five years. The male cheetahs are aged between 4.5 years and 5.5 years. The cheetahs were selected based on an assessment of health, wild disposition, hunting skills, and ability to contribute genetics that will result in a strong founder population.
