Get Cheetah'd And Still Smile
Sun Herald
Sunday August 13, 2000
THE SCRUB crackled underfoot as I waded through the knee-length grass. Stained by mud and vegetation, my cargo pants (official regalia out here) resembled an artist's canvas.
The thick sweater, scarf and gloves I had piled on to combat the dawn chill offered little protection from the heavily wooded South African savanna.
My pace was slowed as my clothes snagged on overhanging branches and I had to duck and weave my way around sharp acacia thorns which threatened to pierce a careless trekker like the point of a dagger.
But while my companions forged ahead I was happy to lag behind. The reason became clear when the bushes directly in front let out a menacing growl.
We stopped dead in our tracks as a cheetah slowly stretched her lean but powerful limbs and rose from her grassy bed to face us.
Startled by our unwelcome presence, the nervous cat began pacing back and forth, baring her razor-sharp teeth.
It would have been wonderful to stroke her sleek back but we were more than happy to stand a few metres away, just far enough to appreciate her feline beauty.
For more than an hour we had traced Mildred's movements with the aid of a tracking device linked to the radio collar she wore. When the signal grew strong we left the safety of our open-top jeep to search the bush.
Like a first-time parent, Mildred's owner, 20-year-old Anthony Peniston, keeps a close eye on his four-legged charge in her new environment. Fortunately for guests at Ingwe Game Lodge he is keen to educate and entertain tourists who want to tag along.
Who could resist the chance to come face to face with such a magnificent but threatened animal? There are only about 15,000 wild cheetahs left.
In what has become a familiar tale all over Africa, Mildred and her companion, George, were relocated to the 9,000ha private Korongwe Game Reserve in South Africa's northern province to save them from a farmer's bullet. With their shrinking habitat in neighbouring Botswana cleared for farmland and their natural food source growing scarce, Mildred and George had taken to picking off plump livestock.
No-one was sure how Mildred would cope in her new home or even without George, who was recovering from a broken leg at a nearby breeding lodge after a close encounter with a lion.
But Anthony said that Mildred was adapting well, eating about every third day.
I was curious to know what day this was because she looked peckish. Like a domestic stray, her belly was sunken and all that pacing was making me edgy.
I would have been more relaxed if I hadn't heard about a fair-haired woman in hospital recovering from some nasty bite wounds after getting a little too close to one of Mildred's cousins. Thankfully Mildred got bored with posing for our cameras preferring to settle back into the undergrowth.
After half-an-hour and a roll of film, I headed back to the jeep, elated. Mildred kept us in her sights until we got to the vehicle. Once our guide put his rifle away and started the engine, she slunk away out of reach of our lenses.
CHECK-IN
* Garth McFarlane Tours specialise in safari itineraries for groups or individuals in the Eastern Lowveld of South Africa and The Valley of the Oliphants. Bookings can be arranged through Bench International in Sydney on 02 9290 2877.
* Two-night packages at private game reserves such as Motswari cost from $1,355 and include return air fares from Johannesburg, transfers, meals and game viewing drives.
* South African Airways flies from Sydney from $1,900pp.
© 2000 Sun Herald