Thompsons Africa supports Cheetah conservation
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Thompsons Africa supports Cheetah conservation
During a recent visit to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, Thompsons Africa’s CEO, Linda Pampallis, was given the opportunity to participate in a unique Adopt-a-Cheetah fund-raising initiative, aimed specifically at cheetah conservation, one of the Centre’s core disciplines.
The world’s fastest land mammal is fast losing its race for survival, which is threatened by loss of habitat due to bush encroachment, conflict with humans, as well as its own loss of genetic variation. Now on the endangered species list, only between 12000 and 15000 animals remain in small-pocketed populations, mainly in Africa. Prior to the 20th century, cheetahs were widely distributed throughout Africa and Asia, and were originally found in all suitable habitats from the Cape of Good Hope to the Mediterranean, throughout the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, from Israel to India, and, who would have thought, through the southern provinces of the former Soviet Union.
The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre not only provides a haven for a variety of injured and orphaned animals, but has a successful cheetah-breeding programme, which has resulted in the birth of more than 270 cheetahs, and 20 rare King Cheetahs, most of which have been released into the wild. “We have adopted 4 cheetahs, the cost of which goes towards the upkeep of the cheetahs and their environment, as well as the support of their caregivers and the local community”, says Linda Pampallis. “In return we are able to offer these cheetahs as ‘gifts’ to our overseas clients, whose names will be featured on the enclosures. It’s a win win situation. Thompsons, which offers affordable safaris in Southern Africa, is helping to preserve the environment, but at the same time, we are raising international awareness”, she says.
The Centre’s, Manager, Juanita Ungerer, says its wonderful to have Thompsons on board and that the finances raised through adoptions helps them a lot with their expenses as well as the purchase of costly research equipment. They are soon hoping to purchase a sonar machine.
11 September 2008
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