The Aspinall Foundation News: Two Cheetahs from Captivity to be Rewilded
The Aspinall Foundation partners with Parc Safari to rewild two cheetahs!
The Aspinall Foundation, the internationally renowned animal conservation charity that works in conjunction with Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks in Kent. has partnered with Parc Safari in Quebec, Canada and Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservation in Zimbabwe to rewild two captive-born cheetahs from Canada. This programme will be the first of its kind for Zimbabwe, which has never before received captive-bred cheetahs for rewilding.
The cheetahs, two brothers named Kumbe and Jabari, owned by Parc Safari and Toronto Zoo respectively, are currently housed at Quebec’s Parc Safari. The popular attraction currently holds 500 animals of 75 different species and is a successful breeder of cheetah. The pair will soon undertake the 7,600 mile journey to their new home at Imire, a 4,500 hectare conservancy in the Mashonaland East District of Zimbabwe.
The first leg of this epic journey is a seven-hour drive from Montreal to Toronto. The cheetahs will then board a 14-hour flight from Toronto to Addis Ababa provided by transport partners, Ethopian Airlines. From Addis Ababa, they will fly to Harare, where they will be met by the Imire and Aspinall Foundation teams who will transport them overland to their new home at Imire.
Animals belong in the wild
The Aspinall Foundation believes animals belong in the wild, in their natural habitat and not in captivity. TAF are leading conservation specialists who have rewilded hundreds of animals including cheetahs, black rhino and western lowland gorillas. They are on the forefront of rewilding captive animals in areas of protected wilderness and have identified Imire as the ideal partner for this latest project.
The key objective of the project will be to establish a breeding population of cheetah at Imire for the purposes of contributing to the genetic diversity and to assist in repopulating other reserves in Zimbabwe. Imire is passionate about making meaningful contributions to conservation and increasing the population of key species such as cheetah and black rhino in Zimbabwe.
Plans for The Aspinall Foundation to expand the programme…
Following this move, the partners intend on expanding the rewilding programme to release a much larger number of cheetahs from captivity and into safe and suitable areas.
Damian Aspinall, Chairman of The Aspinall Foundation, comments “This groundbreaking initiative represents a significant event for cheetah conservation in Zimbabwe. We are very thankful for all partners involved, especially the Government of Zimbabwe for supporting this important project. We are changing the lives of these incredible animals”.
On arrival, Kumbe and Jabari will spend 60 days in a quarantine boma to allow them to acclimatise to their new life under the African sun. While in this boma they will practice chasing a lure and prepare for their first hunt. Upon release from their quarantine boma, they will move into Imire’s 4,500 hectare reserve, where they will encounter wild game. Previous Aspinall Foundation rewilding projects show that this is the stage at which the cheetahs’ natural instincts will kick in and they will begin hunting. They will be closely monitored and supplemental food will be offered if required.
Our team expects Kumbe and Jabari to acclimate quickly. In just a few short months they will live as fully wild cheetahs and contribute to the wider metapopulation.
