Cheetahs rescued

On 6^th June we were both amazed and delighted to come across two cheetahs lying on a track adjacent to the western boundary fence of Balule Nature Reserve.  Cheetahs are an extremely rare sighting within the Greater Kruger Park and the core Kruger Park:  there are only some 250-300 in an area of about 2.4 million hectares.  They were very relaxed and appeared not to be disturbed either by us or by the traffic passing on the main road past the reserve gate.   Apparently their mother had left these two youngsters (they are only about 9 months old) on several occasions in recent weeks, exiting the reserve to the west.  The rangers had caught her and brought her back several times but each time she got out again and now appeared to have gone for good.  Meanwhile the youngsters’ condition was deteriorating rapidly and, despite attempts by rangers to feed them, they were starving and so on 7^th June it was decided to capture them and take them to Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, which specialises in looking after cheetahs.  They were duly darted, checked by the vet, tube-fed and rehydrated, before being taken to HESC.  When they are fully recovered they will be returned to Balule reserve.  It is always difficult to know whether to intervene in situations like this or whether to let nature take its course:  in this instance there were two important factors to consider.  First,  the problem was due, at least in part, to the presence of man-made fences; and second, cheetah are so rare and sufficiently endangered that preservation must take precedence over the course-of-nature argument.  We look forward to the return of these beautiful creatures once they have regained their health and are old enough to fend for themselves.