Our Cheetah family – Update

Posted September 25, 2025 in All

Following our last update in June 2025, we were planning to release our two cheetah boys, Duma and Tswalu, in late August. Everything was going well, they were sitting and feeding together which was a great sign.

Then tragedy struck, two days before the release, Tswalu was found lifeless in the Boma – the cause is still under investigation following his sudden and acute death. The decision though was still taken to release Duma on to the Reserve to see if he could cope on his own.

As of now, Duma has roamed 75% of the Reserve and fence line and is managing very well on his own, we were hoping he would perhaps meet up with our female Ashia. They came close a few days ago but unfortunately, they couldn’t detect each other. Ashia has also become the queen of taking down larger prey animals such as a female Kudu and a male impala.

In early September we were approached by another Reserve in KZN to see if we would take a young male cheetah who had broken his toes on his hind foot. Following a review by the Vet who said he should make a full recovery, we said we would be pleased to look after him. On the 15^th of September, Balula arrived and was put straight into the holding boma, he will be there for 6-8 weeks whilst his foot heals. After this he will then be released on to the Reserve.

Our cheetah journey only started in January 2025 and already we have seen the impact of health issues and felt the constant worry that our founder population will struggle. But with Ashia and Duma forging ahead, patrolling, exploring and giving us so many amazing sightings we look forward to seeing their growth and that of Balula.