CHEETAH AND LEOPARD CONSERVATION PROGRAMME
Pila, Barbara, Georgie and Steff 2010

We didn't really know what to expect when we signed up for ten days of carnivore research in the private nature reserve of NamibRand, in the South of Namibia. After nearly six hours in a car, packed full of supplies, four volunteers plus our driver, we finally reached our destination and suddenly realised what it was all about. 

Stunned by the fantastic landscape - wide yellow plains, dry riverines and red mountains - we got to know our coordinators, German biologists and researchers, Christine and Lars. Since August they have been operating the carnivore programme and introduce volunteers to the activities of carnivore researchers. They are keeping an eye on the collared cheetahs and leopards that have been released in NamibRand so far, tracking them to find out about their home ranges and behaviour. They are hoping to prove that the animals will stay in the private nature reserve and don't go on to farmland to kill livestock.

We soon found out that a researcher's day usually starts very early - even the sun was still asleep! Every day we travelled in the car to try and find signals from the radio collars of the various cheetah and leopard which have been released over the last 18 months. This meant climbing up steep mountains, amazing dunes or exhilarating walks over gravel, stones, bush grass and sand. But each time, a fantastic view and the feeling of being part of something so worthwhile made us forget about the hard work. We were lucky enough to find the five male cheetahs which the Cheetah Conservation Fund had released some six months earlier; twice we saw them devouring their breakfast! Being able to observe their behaviour and eating habits in their new environment made sure that most days were once-in-a-lifetime experiences that none of us will forget.

During our days out we also got to see: oryx, springbok, vultures, kudu, zebra, bat-eared foxes, cape foxes, jackals, porcupines, pole cats, a spotted hyena and - very importantly - NO snakes.

We also learnt about entering research data, processing it to form maps showing the animals' home ranges, doing night observations and cooking meals out of very few ingredients - something Lars is an expert at! He and Christine never lost their patience explaining the animals to us and introducing us to every aspect of a researcher's life. We really enjoyed our stay with the people, the animals and the landscape. We will never forget it  and hopefully we will all come back one day. The animals and the semi-desert are definitely worth it!