Kamanjab - Up Close and Personal with Cheetahs

August 28, 2010

An up close and personal encounter with a wild animal is nothing I'll ever pass up, so I was very excited about our evening following an amazing visit to Etosha National Park. Moving towards the small, isolated town of Kamanjab in Central Northern Namibia, we came to a small campsite off of a bumpy dirt track from the main road, leading us to a relatively simple farm and homestead. As our guide was getting the details of our site for the night, we saw what made this campsite different than many others, with a full grown cheetah coming up to the gate to greet Jo. The beautiful cheetah was just like a dog coming to see hello to the visitors, trotting over after hearing the sound of the bell. We quickly set up camp and headed back towards the entrance to play with the animals.

Walking in the gates, we were all greeted by three full-sized cheetahs, walking alongside us as we moved through the fence and up towards the house. Two dogs, a small Jack Russell terrier and a larger mixed breed, both tagged along, desperate for attention from us, though we were obviously a little more enamored with the huge cats at this point. Around the back of the house was a nice green patch of grass where we settled down and got to know the cheetahs. Very accustomed to humans, the lovely creatures walked back and forth around our group, sometimes a bit interested in us, other times more interested in going off to their own corner for some solitary time. When they did come up to us, they seemed anxious for a pet or to lick our arms and legs, as we were told that they like the salt that tends to be left behind on our skin in such dry conditions (and the fact that we weren't necessarily showering that often probably helped). The strong tongues felt like a rough sandpaper against my bare leg, similar to that of a cat, though with much more power behind it. The cheetahs also stole one of the backpacks that was left on the ground, as they view anything on their level to be a toy, including one of the owner's hats that was used to entice the cheetah up into trees and around the yard. One of the cheetahs was even playing a bit with the small Jack Russell, chasing it around as it knocked a soccer ball around in the grass, looking massive compared to the small, hyper dog. Living in mostly domestic conditions, these cheetahs were in very good shape, and their thick fur was soft, though not quite as soft as a cat or dog, and clean, in contrast to the ones I met in Livingstone (Victoria Falls) who spent their days in dirt and dust.

After about ten or fifteen minutes of wandering around and playing with the cats, they started to become restless, looking to the back gate as one of the owners headed off. Soon he was back with a big chunk of raw meat for each of them, tossing it on the ground in front of each of them. The cats dove right in to their meals, looking just a little bit less domesticated and harmless with their large teeth tearing into the piles of meat in the grass. Our group formed a semi-circle around them, snapping pictures and just enjoying our time with them. Once the dinner was over, the cheetahs were slightly less inclined to hang around our group, so we said our goodbyes to the three cats and got into the back of an open bed truck for a ride to the other part of the property, a semi-wild reserve for a few other cheetahs. These cheetahs are typically ones that have caused problems for farmers by eating livestock, and instead of killing them, the farmers contact this wildlife center to pick them up, allowing them to live out their days in this large fenced reserve. We passed through the first gate and soon saw a group of two or three of the more wild cheetahs approaching our truck as we slowly rode along the dirt tracks through the tall yellow grass. Though our truck was simply an open bed with a bit of railing up to chest level, we weren't far from the "wild" animals. Fortunately, cheetah attacks on humans are very rare, so there wasn't really much danger. These cats obviously know where there food comes from, with a few others appearing out of the bush within a minute or two, trotting over to get some dinner. The event was billed as a chance to see the cheetah run, although the short jogs that we saw were nowhere near the amazing speeds of up to 70 miles per hour that they can reach in the wild, for short bursts, to catch their prey. Even so, as our guide tossed out the chunks of meat, the cats jumped into the air to catch them and sprinted off with the food, anxious to get away from the others and have it to themselves, showing just a hint of their legendary quickness.

While we drove along, different groups of about five cheetahs would trot along behind the truck, drooling and watching closely as they awaited their next meal. It wasn't quite a natural setting, but they did, just slightly, try to encourage the animals to run and work for their food. There was plenty of meat for each of them in our large bucket of meat, though with each toss of meat, two or three animals would jump into the air to catch it and run off with their meal. These semi-wild animals were still majestic, though their coats and faces weren't as nicely groomed as the three we had seen before. Our next stop was into another fenced area containing a mother and her four young cubs. They were being separated from the others as there was hope that the cubs could eventually be released into the wild. Unfortunately, we only saw a glimpse of the tiny young cubs, as the mother stealthily came out of the bush to grab the meat and bring it back to the cubs, barely allowing us to see the babies through the grass and twigs of the undergrowth. As with my other animal encounters, this was an amazing experience to be able to get so close to the animals and even have them lick my leg, though I wished we had more time with the incredible cats. Heading back for the evening, we settled down at our campsite, observing the beautiful stars covering the dark night sky. In a place so far removed from civilization and city lights, thousands and thousands of stars glowed brightly, revealing constellations and the Milky Way stretching above our heads.

The next morning, just as we were ready to leave the campsite, we drove out to the gate to check out, seeing one of the cheetahs pacing around the property, though we were soon joined by another African native, a friendly giraffe that had been raised on the property. The last time our guide visited, the giraffe was quite small, but it was now nearly full grown, and it was interested in our truck. It first came up to the truck, bent down a bit and stuck its head straight into the passenger's window, saying hello to Will and Lisa in the front cab of the truck before coming around to the passenger cab and investigating a few windows. A massive giraffe head in the seat in front of you is quite a sight, so we all had a little fun as it poked around, stroking its huge head and neck as it looked around the truck. Bruce even got a friendly greeting from the giraffe, letting it lick and chomp on his arm as it used its long, black tongue and gentle bites to check him for anything tasty. Eventually we had to push its head back out of the truck and head along on our way, passing up through more desolate, beautiful scenery of dry grasslands and random, dried out trees only about 10 feet tall dotting the horizon.

(The roads of the area tend to be pretty deserted, so I thought it looked like a nice place to take a seat for a while.)

(At Kamanjab, we visited a small camp where a family has begun to shelter cheetahs. We got to play with three full-grown cheetahs that rolled around in the backyard with us.)

(With the dry air of the region, apparently our skin was salty, so the cheetahs liked to lick the salt off. It felt just like a cat's rough tongue (like sandpaper), though with much more force behind it. And yes, that's my leg.)

(Though these three are domesticated, the family also has a reserve for semi-wild cheetahs that were causing problems on local farms, so instead of being shot for killing livestock, they are brought here to live out their days.)

(After a little while, the owners brought out three huge chunks of raw meat for a snack. Check out the Jack Russell terrier in the background jumping for a ball. Despite the size difference, he played with the cheetahs just like they were other dogs his size.)

(Our group watching the feeding. The cheetahs didn't seem quite as interested in us as we did in them. They should take the time to get to know us and maybe they'd feel differently.)

(Out in the reserve, we jumped in the back of a truck with a trash can full of raw meat. Right when we entered the huge fenced enclosure, cheetahs began appearing out of the grass, following along for their meal.)

(They obviously knew their source of food. Once they got close to the truck, the owner would throw the meat in the air, a quick scuffle would ensue, then one of the speedsters would run off with his piece of meat.)

(Three of the cheetahs fighting for their dinner. Don't worry - in the end, everyone got fed. Not quite survival of the fittest.)

(When we were about to leave the next morning, this mostly tame giraffe decided to come over and take a look inside the truck.)

(First checking out the front seat, with Will and Lisa looking just a bit apprehensive. A huge giraffe head in your front seat isn't a frequent sight, so we all loved it.)