Cheetahs live at low densities and therefore need large areas for a viable population long-term.
How do we save animals like the Saharan cheetah
Only 12 Asiatic cheetah are left in the wild!
At the minimum, the Amur leopard population fell to as low as 30 individuals. The Asiatic cheetah is therefore far closer to extinction. At the current time there are thought to be 9 males and 3 females left in the wild. Given that in 2010 there were around 100, while this is still a highly threatened species clearly the threats to their continued existence have not gone away.
The Asiatic cheetah species is not closely related to the African one as previously thought
11 years ago a DNA assessment was done on the Iranian cheetah. This cheetah population is the last Asian cheetah population remaining.
It was thought that all cheetah went through a bottleneck 10,000 years ago, meaning that all cheetah were closely related. However this is not as all encompassing as we thought.
South African cheetah to be introduced into India
There is an impressive wealth of cats living in India. From the Indian tiger (known throughout the world) to the Asiatic lions last home- the gir forests of west india (the asiatic lion once roamed across Asia, throughout southern Europe, across northern and western Africa – therefore there are probably more “Asiatic” lion in Africa than in Asia), 12,000-14,000 leopards remain in the country. The snow leopard also still roams mountains within the country. It also still has a population of clouded leopards. In other words, in terms of big cats, it has all species except Jaguar.
Continue reading “South African cheetah to be introduced into India”The possibility of reintroducing Cheetah to India is once again being looked at
Rajasthan madlyya Pradesh and Gujarat are all looking at potential sites were cheetah could be reintroduced. Given the precarious state of the cheetah population in Iran (thought to only be 50-60 animals) the reintroductions would come from Africa.
Continue reading “The possibility of reintroducing Cheetah to India is once again being looked at”Can Cheetah be saved by moving them around?
In South Africa, as much of the cheetah population as much of the cheetah population live either outside protected land or in reserves that are small, with space for only a few individuals. Cheetah, being small, cannot defend their kills from Leopards Lions and Hyena, as well as loosing many of their young to these bigger predators.
Sightings boards
Everywhere on the planet can have wildlife – even the most nature depleted country do still have wildlife. We aim to allow you to list sightings from all over the world, wherever you encounter them, from encounters on walks to sightings in the headlights of a car.
When you arrive in a wild place, it can seem overwhelming. You are given a large area to explore (even the small reserves are usually several hundred square miles, and while this doesn’t seem big, where do you go?). The aim of these pages is to change this. Often, the main reason that you hire a guide, is that they know where the animals are most likely to be.
Over time, by using this map, and putting down your sightings, we will build up a map of where animals are often found and when. It will also be possible to see where animals have been seen recently, though sighting will not appear instantly. While you might think this is not good, it actually makes sure that the person making the initial sighting gets to enjoy the animal to themselves for a while. While in theory this would allow day visitors to zoom around and tick off the big 5 in a couple of hours, this has been built for more interesting reasons.
Importantly, I am keen that this is not a tool for poachers. As such, it is possible for us to remove animals from being chosen to appear on the map, so you can feel confident in listing sightings of animals such as black rhino. If you see news of a poaching epidemic somewhere, let me know. In the long term I hope to create these sightings boards for all destinations.
Click on the maps below to go to the relevant sightings board.
In the near future, before many people have found the map, it can operate very well as a personal guide to where you saw animals. Like us, animals have regular habits, and so if you find them in one place on one day, and put up the sighting, they are likely to be near the sighting on future days. However, as the sightings data builds up, there is likely to be a change in how you can use it. Of course you can continue to look at what has happened recently, however the filtering options have been designed so that you can look at the pattern of sightings – the hope is that with a little planning homework, you can give yourself information on wildlife habits, and become your own expert wildlife guide.
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Apart from the big 5 I have included wild dog and cheetah, jackals, and hyena. I have also included the rarer antelope – these tend to be found in specific parts of the park, so knowing where to look can help in finding them. Finally I have listed some rarely seen nocturnal animals, like pangolins and aardvarks. It is unlikely that these are ones other people can look at, though if we get lots of data in this field, it may allow scientific study of these rarely seen creatures.
Camp Ndlovu
Camp Ndlovu
Camp Ndlovu lies within the Welgevonden Game Reserve, and sits alongside the Marakele National Park in South Africa.
These protected areas and some other reserves are collectively called the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, which covers around 4,000 square km of bush.
Sitting just two and a half hours from Cape Town, this is a perfect place to drop into for a few days during a Cape holiday. One of the big advantages of going on safari here is that there is no Malaria, which is rare for a safari destination.
As a Big Five reserve you will have an action packed visit (cheetah are also present).
For those interested in birds there are also over 300 species that are present including blue cranes.
Camp Ndlovu is a luxurious way to do safari, and with only guests of one of the lodges allowed onto the reserve the number of cars is kept relatively low. With just five suites (one of which is suitable for families, though children under 12 by arrangement only) even when the lodge is full, it will not feel crowded.
With each suite being very generously sized and being air conditioned, they will be a welcome refuge from the heat of the bush. Each has its own plunge pool and outdoor shower and bath. They each have extra long king sized beds, and a sitting room with a fireplace. Also included is a minibar and a nespresso machine. There is also a sizeable deck around the plunge pool with comfortable pool loungers, allowing you to relax in comfort and watch the world pass by.
Despite the camps remoteness there is also WIFI within the camp. They also have extras such as bathrobes slippers and forgotten toiletries.
Each air-conditioned luxury unit suite comes complete with its own plunge pool, outdoor shower and outdoor bath, air-conditioning and fan, king size extra length bed, a lounge with fireplace, Nespresso coffee machine with complimentary coffee pods, a mini bar, outdoor shower and bath and an extensive wooden deck with pool loungers and private dining areas. Extras include bathrobes, slippers and complimentary toiletries and Wifi.
This coupled with a history of wildlife never having been legally hunted here makes for far more relaxed animal encounters than you can experience elsewhere. Anti-poaching efforts continue behind the scenes to make sure that this remains the case as much as possible.
Apart from those animals listed so far the reserve hosts around 50 mammals in total. Night time safaries are usually the only way to see them and brown hyena, aardwolf, pangolin and aardvark are present to be looked for on night drives.
With a long history of human habitation within the area, there are also 2 san rock paintings within the reserve. There is a booking/questions form below the video, and below this is pricing information in south african Rand (at the time of writing £1 is about 20 rand
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To ask questions or enquire about availability or book please fill in the form below
Fitzpatrick at Jock
Fitzpatrick at Jocks
Fitzpatrick at Jocks is a small lodge perfect for groups and hired exclusively to one group at a time. Consisting of 3 Luxurious suites each with its own viewing deck. This allows people to enjoy the luxury of a lodge, but with the intimacy of being just a small group.
Lying in the game dense south of the Kruger national park, this private concession covers around 23 miles which only your group and the main lodge will have access to. The lodge is built on the river bank, which means that often the wildlife will come to visit you so you can enjoy watching the world go by from the comfort of your suite.
Beautifully equipped and set up for a group of up to 6 to share, this is an incredible place for friends to go together or for family time away from everyone else.
With places to eat inside and out, and with its own staff, a visit can be fully molded around the group visiting- both in terms of food preference and activities.
Things to do include bush drives, bush walks (which will include learning the beginning of tracking) sun downer drinks in the bush, as well as time simply relaxing in the lodge.
Being in a game rich part of the park, it is also wonderful to lay back on a lounger and watch the animals move past.
The above video gives you a good introduction to the lodge and the area around it.
Below is a more detailed look at the lodge and the feel of the place.
Fully inclusive pricing starts at
If you are interested and would like to book or enquire about availability fill in the form below.
Silvan Safari Lodge
Silvan Safari Lodge
Silvan Safari lodge lies in the northern portion of the Sabi Sands private reserve.
It is the newest luxury lodge, sitting within the Leadwood forests and beside the waters of the Manyeleti River. It also won the leading world lodge in 2019 from world travel awards.
The Sabi Sands is particularly game rich, especially with the big cats. While you will definitely see these on game drives, you may also spot them walking past the lodge.
With just 6 spacious fabulous suites, and a family unit, even when full it is never going to feel crowded, and giving fantastic views out into the bush around it.
With places to eat the incredible food both inside and out, and afterwards plenty of space you can choose how to spend your evenings.Â
Also expect incredible food and drinks sun-downers out in the bush on your evening drives
Lying in the northern sabi sands, this is a less densely visited area. While this means that there are fewer people so it will feel more truly wild, it also means there are less other cars to direct to wild animals.
However I would always choose fewer people. If your vehicle is the first down a road in the morning, or for a long time there will be many tracks to spot, as well as on occasions lions stretched out on the ground. As there are few people in the area it is also highly likely that you will often be in the first vehicle on the road each morning on your morning game drive.
The “rooms” are individual suites (6 standard and one family suite) stretched out along the banks of a dry river bed (apart from perhaps after extreme rain, although the water is not visible much of the time, there will be water underground. This means that there will be many large trees around this area- attracting many animals to eat and leopards to rest up in the trees..Â
Below is a video of one of the suites, There are a few videos of silvan safaris including other suites that are available.
From delicious food, and incredible accommodation, to incredible trips out on foot or in the car, and with the ability to tailor your visit to meet your interest. With all of the luxuries available but surrounded by the incredible wildlife of Africa.
Each suite comes with a plunge pool allowing you to soak during the hot periods of the day, as you watch the wilderness wander past.
The pricing starts from for this luxurious destination.Â
To ask further questions or to enquire about availability and book, please fill in the form below and we will get back to you.
If you wish to return to the Limpopo transfrontier park click here
