By Simone Loxton

You wouldn’t think such a unique and beautiful creature such as the cheetah is endangered. Every part of its anatomy has evolved to be the fastest and swiftest hunter, using short bursts of speed of up to 120km/h to attack its prey. The animal is also a prolific breeder, bearing up to nine cubs in a litter. However, they have a mortality rate of 50 – 70% as their need for speed has deteriorated their ability to defend against larger, stronger predators. Oh, and mankind.

Because of this, a number of Cheetah conservation reserves have popped up in an attempt to curve the mass deterioration of the slick and agile creature’s numbers through breeding and education. Some are successful, but the cheetah has become notorious for its inability to breed within captivity.

The Samara Private Game Reserve has been successful, however, because of its different take on the idea of captivity. Located in the Great Karoo, Eastern Cape, Samara made history by introducing the cheetah back into a region that once had a diverse wildlife and was consequently destroyed by hunters and poor agriculture routines. The last reported wild cheetah was seen in the area approximately 125 years ago.

Released into the reserve in 2008, a badly treated female, Sibella, along with two males, was given the chance to live naturally in an environment free from predator competition found in the Big five reserves. She has since contributed to 2% of the wild cheetah population in South Africa, bearing a total of 18 cubs.

Unlike the traditional idea of a cheetah conservation outreach, you aren’t able to casually hang out with the cheetahs at Samara. Instead, game drives enable you to see them in their natural habitat, all the while knowing that they were saved for by those who love them the most.

If you would like to interact with cheetahs and have a more personal experience with them, the Cheetah Outreach is an education and community-based programme at Paardevlei in Somerset West in the Western Cape. Founded in 1997 by Annie Beckhelling, the programme is continuously evolving and partners with ambassador cats to educate learners at various schools. The Cheetah Outreach is open all year, from 9:30 to 17:00. If you’re up for a personal encounter with one of their ambassadors, be there at 10:00, but remember, it’s up to the cat!