Over 10 000 rhino poached in South Africa during the past decade. Pangolins are the world’s most trafficked animal. Over 1 million pangolins poached in Africa during the past decade. That equates to one every five minutes.
Over 10 000 rhino poached in South Africa during the past decade. Pangolins are the world’s most trafficked animal. Over 1 million pangolins poached in Africa during the past decade. That equates to one every five minutes.

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Cheetah Translocations Across Southern Africa

NGOs Join Forces to Relocate Five Cheetahs: August 2025.

In August 2025, a groundbreaking collaboration between several conservation organizations made it possible to move cheetahs across provincial lines and even international borders—covering thousands of kilometers in only a few days.

These initiatives were driven by the combined efforts of the Fisher Foundation, WeWild Africa, the Wildlife Emergency Fund, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and numerous other stakeholders acknowledged below:

In August 2025, a groundbreaking collaboration between several conservation organizations made it possible to move cheetahs across provincial lines and even international borders—covering thousands of kilometers in only a few days.

These initiatives were driven by the combined efforts of the Fisher Foundation, WeWild Africa, the Wildlife Emergency Fund, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and numerous other stakeholders acknowledged below:
1. Thanda to Abelana: The journey began in the subtropical setting of KwaZulu-Natal’s Thanda Game Reserve, where the first steps were taken to give these threatened predators a new chance at survival in safe and protected habitats….read more. This particular intervention involved transferring a male cheetah from Thanda Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal to Abelana Game Reserve in Limpopo—a journey of more than 700 kilometers. Thanda, a 14,000-hectare reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal, has been protected under the Biodiversity Stewardship Programme since 2014. Once overgrazed farmland, it has been successfully restored into flourishing savanna habitat. Thanda also plays an important role in larger conservation efforts: it participates in WWF’s Black Rhino Range Expansion Project, is a founding member of Project Rhino KZN, and partners with the Endangered Wildlife Trust through the national Cheetah Metapopulation Project. As part of this work, cheetahs are monitored, collared, and translocated to sustain healthy, diverse populations.

2. Waterberg to Zambeze Delta: The Fisher Foundation in partnership with the Wildlife Emergency Fund (WEF) joined the Cabela Family Foundation’s “12 Cheetahs” project to transfer two young male cheetahs, both 2.5 years old, from South Africa’s Waterberg area to Mozambique’s Zambeze Delta….

We reached the reserve the day prior to the operation, getting ready for an early start to capture and prepare the cats for their 1,500-kilometer, 38-hour journey.

The team first tried using cage traps, but the clever predators had to be darted instead. Veterinary expert Dr. Wikus Weideman waited in a small triangular hide with his dart gun as another team carefully led the cheetahs toward him. Both were swiftly darted, stabilized, and transported to the processing site, where they received medication and final preparations for travel with minimal stress.

Kulani from the Cheetah Metapopulation Initiative transported the cheetahs across the border to Coutada 11 in Mozambique. They were kept in a soft-release boma and, demonstrating their wild instincts, they escaped sooner than expected. However, the monitoring team promptly confirmed their adaptability, and within days, they were hunting successfully—marking a promising start to their new lives in one of Africa’s most wild landscapes.

The two cheetahs are part of an initiative reintroducing the species to Mozambique’s Zambeze Delta, where they have been absent for nearly a century. Their release into Coutada 11 supports the larger Cheetah Metapopulation Project, which aims to preserve genetic diversity and expand the species’ suitable habitat across Africa.
3. Mabula Cheetah Translocation: The Fisher Foundation enabled the translocation of two male cheetahs from Mabula Game Reserve, coordinated in partnership with the Wildlife Emergency Fund (WEF), and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). The cheetahs were moved to WildlifeVets.com’s holding facility in the Lowveld, where they will remain under expert care until a suitable long-term reserve is secured. Veterinary work was conducted by Rooiberg Veterinary Services (RVS).

Partners:

Wildlife Emergency Fund
WeWild Africa
Photographer: Wiki West
The Metapopulation Initiative
Abelana Game Reserve
Thanda Safari
Zambeze Delta Conservation
Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT)
Wildlifevets.com
Veterinarian Wikus Wiedman
Mabula Game Lodge
Rooiberg Veterinary Services (RVS)

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