People And Wildlife Solutions (PAWS)

A Sad Farewell to one of AfriCat’s Rehabilitation Cheetahs - Frankie

Roma Muccio-Johnson — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:26:07 +0000

Sadly one of the original ‘5′ cheetahs who was released by AfriCat into Okonjima’s new 16,000h rehabilitation reserve died last week. Frankie, who was one of the most adventurous of the five, was attacked by a territorial leopard on Monday 12th July and died on Tuesday 20th July ‘10. Frankie was discovered on Monday morning by one of the Okonjima guides whilst out tracking with the guests. Frankie had last been seen on Friday 9th July and was doing well. Once found he was darted by the AfriCat team and taken to Otjiwarongo where Dr Axel Hartmann did his best to clean & stitch him up, most of the neck injuries seemed superficial. After a couple of days Frankie was returned to AfriCat welfare where Dave and Carla were monitoring him around the clock. Sadly he took a turn for the worst and was again rushed to the vets. Leopard bites are known for the infection that they cause and although Frankie was on a course of strong antibiotics - sadly Dr Hartmann had to put him down as his condition had deteriorated rapidly. His siblings Coco, and Spud and his friends Bones and Hammer are continuing to hunt and survive very successfully in their new group of 4. Frankie will be well remembered and is a sad loss for everyone here at PAWS, AfriCat and Okonjima.

Ben Teuten : 24.04.10 to 18.06.10

Roma Muccio-Johnson — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:19:47 +0000

I’m just writing to say thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You’ve been kind, generous, hospitable and a great laugh to be around. This has been one of the best experiences of my life, I have learnt lots about the wildlife as well as the history and current state of affairs regarding bush encroachment. Roma, thankyou for the help around the camp, cooking etc and also being a friendly face after a hard days work. You are extremely kind and I have loved every bit of your company. Clive, you’ve become a great friend and I hope you enjoyed my company as much as I’ve enjoyed yours. You, above anyone else have made this trip memorable, facsinating and rewarding. I’m extremely happy with what I’ve learnt; birds, animals and our incredible debates on God and aliens! You’ve picked a touch project but that only means that it’s more of a challenge. Every bush is one more down as is every pole and wire as I’m sure you know. I shall miss you loads, keep up the great work and I’ll be back soon (if you’ll have me) to cut down some more bush! I’ll remember these past 10 weeks for the rest of my life and you two have and always will make this a fantastic memory.

3 More Cheetahs Released by AfriCat into the New 16,000h Rehabilitation Reserve

Roma Muccio-Johnson — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:42:27 +0000

On the 17th June 2010 AfriCat released 3 more lucky cheetahs into Okonjima’s 16,000h cheetah rehabillitation reserve. Here’s a little bit of background info on these cheetahs :
Charlie
4½ years old / Came to AfriCat at 4 months old / Confiscated from farmer by the MET
Trish
4 years old / Came to AfriCat at 1 years old / Caught in boxtrap, mother never caught / too young to be released on her own.
Charlie and Trish were introduced to each other in May 2009 and have stayed together since. AfriCat have reported that Charlie and Trish brought down and killed a kudu last week and appear to be doing well and hunting successfully on their own so far.
Twiggy
5 years old / Came to AfriCat at 2½ years old / Caught by farmer and kept in captivity for 4 months and not fed properly / Emaciated and malnourished when came to AfriCat - about 12 kg underweight.
AfriCat have reported that Twiggy also brought down and killed a kudu a couple of weeks ago and has since been hunting small antelope like dyker etc. She also appears to be doing well on her own.

Above pics are Charlie & Trish, Twiggy on her own and then the original 5 cheetahs. The original 5 and Cyclopse, the 6th cheetah on his own are also hunting and self sustaining well which is wonderful news. P.A.W.S. volunteers continue to accompany AfriCat weekly to track on foot and monitor all 9 cheetahs. Another 3 cheetahs are due to be released soon, I’ll be keeping you posted.

A Big Thankyou To Susan & Derek Rankine - Toys for the Staff Children at Okonjima!

Roma Muccio-Johnson — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:07:03 +0000

Clive and I would like to say a huge thankyou to Susan and Derek who volunteered at P.A.W.S. in May, for donating a wonderful selection of toys and games to the local village kids at Okonjima. They came armed with a huge variety of gifts for all ages including lots of schooling equipment including pens, pencils, pads etc. plus lots of toys for just having fun with! We gave the toys to the village school to enable all of the children to use and enjoy and also to the children living with their families at Okonjima’s entrance security gate. Pictured here are just some of the school children with their teachers, Miriam (on the left) and Julia (on the right). The children were so excited to receive the toys and I’m quite sure much fun is going to be had over the coming months. Thanks again!!

Felipe Saldarriaga : 30.01.10 to 26.02.10

Roma Muccio-Johnson — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:19:38 +0000

What can I say about PAWS, it’s so difficult to put into words how to describe the experience you live in Namibia. Not because you don’t have a great time, in fact you do, you’ll learn tons of things about nature with Clive, which by the way is the most passionate person I’ve met in my life about his job, or that the camp is absolutely great, built by Clive and Roma themselves or maybe the feeling of satisfaction you get after a hard days work. What’s difficult to put into words is the connection you experience with yourself, with nature, the experience of total peace where the only thing between you and yourself is your conscience, and it will change your life. This connection will change your way of thinking and turns it much simpler; it will help you value the real important things in life.
You will meet great people, feel good about your work, learn with Roma and Clive many things, interact with the animals, see wildlife in a different way, closer than in any park but in the end is the connection you make with yourself that makes this experience priceless.

Ren Peters : 08.05.10 to 21.05.10

Roma Muccio-Johnson — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:15:56 +0000

I had real high hopes when I decided to do P.A.W.S. but in all honesty it exceeded my expectations. To say I had the time of my life is an understatement. The work P.A.W.S and the AfriCat Foundation are doing is so special and important and to be a small part of that made me very proud. Yes the work was a wee bit tough at times but the sense of accomplishment at the end of it outweighed it all. The real bonus was seeing the first 5 cheetah’s being released which was an absolute honour and really quite overwhelming. I will be logging in to keep updated with their progress! Another big highlight was de-flea’ing the cheetahs. So cool! Special thanks to Clive and Roma who went that extra mile to make sure we were always ok. I promise to visit you guys again! To anyone thinking of going to P.A.W.S. in the future - DO IT! The camp is amazing (the open air toilets/showers were my favourite!), the team are fantastic and the animals are out of this world. It is an experience I will never forget.

Mafana on the Table at AfriCat

Roma Muccio-Johnson — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:18:32 +0000

Mafana is one of the most magnificent examples of a leopard you could ever wish to see, let alone have the privilege of getting up close and personal with. This is exactly what happened this week for 5 lucky volunteers. Mafana’s radio collar needed replacing and therefore he had to be darted and brought into the AfriCat clinic. As always, when a cat is darted AfriCat take this rare opportunity of giving the cat a quick health check including the usual feline vaccinations. Mafana weighed in at a very healthly 67kilos or 147 pounds.

Starsky And Hutch On The Move

Roma Muccio-Johnson — Sun, 30 May 2010 18:36:20 +0000

Two of AfriCat’s welfare cheetahs, brothers Starsky and Hutch were darted and brought into the clinic as they were being relocated to another area within AfriCat’s welfare programme. As always our P.A.W.S. volunteers were on hand to assist and witness the delicate proceedings of the relocation operation. The cats were given a quick health check including a de-fleaing session which our lucky volunteers got hands on and assisted with. Just another day in the office!!

Derek & Susan Rankine : 08.05.10 to 21.05.10

Roma Muccio-Johnson — Sun, 30 May 2010 08:09:55 +0000

We have just spent two weeks at P.A.W.S and it was the best experience of our lives. The work was challenging but extremely rewarding, once you get to grips with the dreaded sickle bushes (Dichrostachys Cinerea, are you impressed Clive!!!) Some of the morning chores, i.e. clearing the cheetah enclosures and cleaning the wild dogs’ water hole, were more like treats than work. Every day had a wildlife highlight, far too many to mention individually. Our top two experiences were watching five cheetahs being released back in to the wild by Africat which was a great privilege and extremely emotional and we were also lucky to see two cheetahs at Africat which had been darted. We were allowed to get hands on and de flea them which was amazing! It still hasn’t sunk in what we have experienced at P.A.W.S it was a dream come true for us. To be so close to wild animals and to be able to touch them whilst darted is something we will never forget. We love all animals but cheetahs are our favourite so we thought we’d died and gone to heaven! If you love wildlife, especially cheetahs and leopards, then this is definitely the place to visit. We cannot speak too highly of how fantastic Okonjima Reserve is and what they are trying to achieve. This is down to the hard work and dedication of the Hanssen family, the Africat Foundation and or course P.A.W.S. Last but not least we would like to say a huge thank you to Clive and Roma for looking after us so well. They both go out of their way to make the whole experience as enjoyable and rewarding as possible. Clive’s wildlife knowledge is encyclopaedic. We learned so much in our two weeks, we just wish we could retain all the information like he can! The work they are doing is truly inspirational. We are definitely planning to return next year and would recommend P.A.W.S to anyone interested in wildlife volunteer projects and conservation, you will not find anywhere better.

Exciting News!! 16,000 Hectare Cheetah Rehabillitation Reserve Now Complete!

Roma Muccio-Johnson — Tue, 25 May 2010 14:51:07 +0000

After a much anticipated wait, the 16,000 hectare reserve on Okonjima’s land has finally been completed enabling this area to fulfil its potential of becoming a Rehabilitation Reserve for some of AfriCat’s welfare cheetah’s. This vast landscape will play a major part in the ultimate rehabilitation and release of these wonderful creatures back into the wilds of Namibia. This fenced reserve will allow these cats to take the time they need to become completely independent hunters in a protected area. Once AfriCat is confident that these cheetah’s can hunt and survive unaided by humans, they will be given their second chance at a free life!

The first six cheetah’s released were : Coco - Female - 4 yrs old / Frankie - Male - 4 yrs old / Spud - Male - 4 yrs old / Bones - Male - 4 yrs old / Hammer - Male - 5 yrs old / Cyclops - Male - 5.5 yrs old

The rehabillitation programme gives these cheetahs the opportunity to hone their hunting skills and become self-sustaining in a protected area. Orphaned at an early age, four of these cats have missed out on all that they should have learnt from their mother while growing up.

Since their release on 18th May, they have been monitered closely and we are pleased to announce they have already caught a steenbok and a young warthog for their supper! Our P.A.W.S. volunteers will also be assisting AfriCat with the monitoring of these beautiful creatures!