The Cheetah Whisperer
The scrabbling of the Cheetah’s non-retractable claws on the floor of the transport crate and the thumping of the animal’s heavy body into the sides of the container made me wince. The first panel at the front of the crate lifted skyward in the grasp of Chief Thozo and Biologist Willem Briers-Louw. The assorted visitors trained their video cameras and cell phones on the crate as the Chief and Biologist raised the last barrier – the internal panel – to the Cheetah’s freedom. The tall, slender female was nothing but a blur as she bolted from her prison and into the mixed scrub and grassland of the Boma. Her home for the next several weeks, the Boma would help her acclimatize to the wider spaces of Coutada 11. The Chief seemed mesmerized by his first look at an animal that his great-great-grandfathers saw last in their Zambeze Delta homeland, and an animal that he asked his ancestors to bless less than two weeks before. He was the last to turn from the wonderful, spotted form that trotted around in front of all in attendance. Her angular shoulder blades showed through her yellow and black skin. Her movements were very dog-like, but with a grace that few canids possessed.
The reintroduction of Cheetahs into Coutada 11 has the possibility of going bust because of the Cheetahs’ so-called ‘fragility’, but it also might succeed spectacularly. One factor that gives it the chance for a positive outcome comes in the form of a person, Vincent van der Merwe, who I enjoy referring to as The Cheetah Whisperer. Named a ‘National Geographic Explorer’ and funded multiple times by that organization for his work with Cheetah reintroduction and conservation, Vincent is passionate about ‘his’ cats. But, it was not always so. “I never envisioned working on large carnivores,” he stated matter-of-factly. Frankly, he thought there were already too many people working on the ‘sexy study-species’. So, he wrote his Master’s Thesis on his work with Beetles. He intended to follow that work with a PhD on Acacia trees. The change in Vincent’s thinking began when he was a Safari Guide in a Reserve close to Kruger National Park where Cheetah were very rare. Vincent always roots for the underdog in sports, politics, life in general, and so he became fascinated by this rarely seen predator. But, even with that leaning, he still had no interest in pursuing work in Cheetah conservation.The redirection of Vincent’s life plan happened between completing his MSc and beginning a PhD at Rhodes University located in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. A job advertisement from the Endangered Wildlife Trust appeared. They wanted to hire a ‘Cheetah Metapopulation Coordinator’. As he read the job description, Vincent realized that it matched perfectly his life-goals of traveling extensively and working in conservation biology. Vincent laughed as he recalled the, in his own words, “massive and complex job application” he sent to the Trust. As he described videoing himself doing mock teaching and guiding excursions about Cheetahs, it brought to my mind Director Peter Jackson’s description of Elijah Wood’s audition for the role of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings. Like Vincent, Wood too submitted videotapes of himself acting out the role he coveted. Vincent’s application wooed those in charge at the Trust. The job offer arrived while he was hunting with his Dad in Botswana, only days before he was to show up to begin his PhD. And, so, the Cheetah Whisperer appeared on the scene. Excerpt from Mike's Upcoming Book:
BRINGING BACK THE LIONS: International Hunters, Local Tribespeople, and the Miraculous Rescue of a Doomed Ecosystem in Mozambique
