Cheetah Research

Cheetah Research in the Timbavati

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) can be defined as one of the most endangered species of large predator within Africa. 

 

Very little is currently known about the cheetah population within the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve (TPNR).  We are therefore aiming to conduct a series of studies on the cheetahs within the Reserve, designed to evaluate the:

 

1)    Abundance of cheetahs, via a photographic survey;

2)   Genetic variability of the population, through collection of faecal samples for subsequent

       DNA extraction and sequencing; and

3)   Home range requirements and spatial utilisation of cheetahs within the reserve.

 

The research project is a joint-collaboration with the Ajubatus Foundation, the Cheetah Conservation Fund, the TPNR and South African National Parks, with funding donated kindly by both John Dyer (Ajubatus Foundation) and Paul Levey (Makanyi Lodge/White's Avoca).