Leopard Hill Dogs and Pangolin Power

Greetings All,
Another week has passed at CCF.  We had a new task assigned to us: walk the Anatolian shepherd dogs guarding the goats in the corral.  This enabled us to explore the farm and get some much needed exercise.  The dogs felt the same way.  A new game emerged - what dogs could make it to the top of Leopard Hill?  Although not very high, maybe a 200 foot climb, most of the dogs had never been to the top.  The first to make it was Hediye.  We shared a great view of the CCF farm.

Peggy and Hediye on the way down from Leopard Hill

The next day we took Kiri and Firat to the top.  There were some that didn't think Firat would make it but not to be out done by Kiri, he was the third dog to become a Leopard Hill Dog!  Kiri was happy to escape her brood of 11 puppies for awhile.  They loved sniffing  the white pole on top!

Marc with Kiri and Firat on Leopard Hill

The following morning, Spots made his bid.  Along with Hediye (already a Leopard Hill Dog), Spots joined the esteemed ranks of a Leopard Hill Dog.  The last two dogs to be inaugurated were Cheetah and Spikey.  Cheetah was particularly proud as he was recovering from a tick-born disease.

Peggy with Cheetah and Spikey on Leopard Hill

In addition to guarding livestock, some dogs at CCF are trained to detect cheetah scat.  We helped Steph one morning in continuing her training of Tiger, a springer spaniel from Australia.  We hid a few pieces of cheetah scat, then Steph gave Tiger the "find it!" command.  Using his acute sense of smell Tiger found the scat in no time and would sit next to it waiting for Steph's approval.  He was rewarded with play toys.

Tiger, the Scat Detection Dog

I'm sure most of you are wondering "why on earth would you want to find cheetah poo?"  There are a few reasons.  First, the scat is analyzed to determine what the cheetah has been eating.  This data is useful to show farmers that cheetah prefer wild prey over livestock.  Secondly, DNA can now be extracted from scat and individual cheetahs identified.  This is helpful in determining how many and which cheetahs are in an area.

The last couple of days we've been helping Ryan feed 35 of CCF's 50 cheetahs.  This involved taking a 45-minute drive to Bellebeno Farm to feed the less habituated cheetahs.  Along the way there is always the chance to see other animals such as these graceful Kudu at Eric se Pos waterhole.

Greater Kudu

Warthog families would frequently trot across the road with tails held high as "follow me" signs.

Warthogs

We also encountered Oryx, Giraffe, Steenbok and this handsome Black-backed jackal.

Black-backed Jackal

One of the cheetahs at Bellebeno is Athena.  Ryan told us her fascinating story.  She was brought to CCF last November along with 3 other female cheetahs after being trapped by a farmer.  One of her paws was in bad shape and a toe had to be amputated.  After lots of TLC by CCF vets and staff she recovered and was released on Bellebeno.  Unfortunately she did not stay on CCF land and ended up on a neighboring farm where she started killing livestock.  She was trapped and returned to CCF where it was determined that her teeth had gone bad (probably why she resorted to killing livestock) and that she was pregnant!  She gave birth to one or two cubs at Bellebeno.  Unfortunately they did not survive.  A wild male cheetah broke into her pen and may have killed her cubs.  She may be pregnant again.  Athena is a stunning cat and we hope she can be returned to the wild one day where she and her cubs can roam free.

Athena

Last night we visited The Big Field to watch the sun set and a nearly full moon rise over the Waterberg Plateau.

Moon Rise over the Waterberg Plateau

An unexpected surprise waited for us.  Bruce and Laurie had found a pangolin!   In all our 17 trips to Africa we have never seen a pangolin.  It was the one African mammal that I had most wanted to see. We raced off to Laurie and Bruce's location and there he was, a beautiful Ground Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) also known as Temminck's Pangolin trying to hide under a bush.

Ground Pangolin

He (not really sure of the gender) resembled an over grown tailed-artichoke with a wee head and beady eyes.  What a prehistoric looking creature and an incredibly lucky sighting!  I was overcome with emotion.  What a privilege to see an amazing animal in such a beautiful location!

Ground Pangolin

Here are a few more of our favorite photos:

Rainbow and Aurora Grooming

Eland Bull



Cheetah Run

We'll see what surprises CCF has in store for us during our final week.
We hope all is well back home.
Peggy and Marc


Postscript: We learned from CCF that Spots passed away on September 30, 2018 at the age of 10. You can read more about Spots at:

Goodbye to Spots

Down on the Farm, Cheetah Style

Greetings All,

We have been working at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) farm near Otjiwarongo, Namibia for nearly a week.   We arrived last Sunday and settled into our home for the month. 

Marc on the Front Porch of our New Home

We are sharing a 2-bedroom house with another couple from California.  Our bedroom is furnished with two twin beds and a 3-drawer nightstand.  Marc has set up his MiFi so I can work on my iPad from the comfort of my bed.

Peggy in our Cozy Bedroom

We have a little kitchen with a table, chairs, shelves and a sink.

Marc in our Kitchen

We bought an electric kettle so we can make fresh pressed coffee in the morning.  Our first task on Monday was called husbandry.  We helped Ryan, the assistant Cheetah Keeper, feed some of the cheetahs. They are fed approximately 2 kg of meat per day,  6 days per week.  The meat is mostly donkey with some horse (sorry Joanne).  Since there are 50 cheetahs to feed, donkey is the most readily available meat to buy from local farmers.  The cheetahs are fed in small pens where the keepers can observe what they eat and make sure each cat gets its fair share.  They are fed out of enamel bowls which keeps sand out of their food.
 

Lunch Time at CCF

Currently, CCF has 3 cubs around 6 months old.  Each cat has a different story.  Some are orphaned after their mothers were shot by a farmer, others are confiscated from people trying to keep them illegally as pets, while others are found abandoned by their mothers for reasons unknown.  Stitch is a new arrival.  She came from a game lodge that was going out of business.  She has difficulty walking due to a presumed calcium deficiency that has left her bones week.  I had to feed her medicated meat from a wooden spoon with a long handle.

Peggy giving Stitch her Medication

Along with feeding comes cleaning the enclosures.  Some had pooper scoopers for picking up cheetah poo but others had no scoopers so we used our hands.  Fortunately, I had brought a pair of work gloves along.  

Peggy picking up bones & Cheetah Poo

In addition to taking care of the cheetahs, there are dogs, sheep, goats and horses to care for. Anatolian Shepherds are bred as livestock guarding dogs.  CCF works with local farmers to resolve human-wildlife conflicts. The Anatolian Shepherds are effective in protecting sheep and goats from cheetahs.  Over 450 dogs have been placed on farms in the area.  The dogs have to be walked to keep them in good condition.

Marc Walking Felice

Currently, there are two litters of 11 puppies each at CCF that need to be fed twice a day.  It's quite a chore to feed 22 bundles of energy intent on eating their litter-mates food or escaping into another pen.  They settle down once a blue bowl of food is placed in front of them.

 

All puppies placed on farms have to be spayed or neutered.  CCF has a clinic and vet on hand to preform these surgeries.  Marc got to assist in four neuter operations.  He was in charge of monitoring the puppy's heart rate and respiration.

That's it for now.  Stay tuned for more tails and tales from CCF.  We do have pretty good internet access here so feel free to send questions or comments.
We hope all is well back home.
Peggy and Marc