Solitaire, Namibia

The month of March was a month full of birthday celebrations and new experiences!  Myself, Sarah, Elzette, Cila, Dara, and a handful of volunteers all shared birthday celebrations at N/a ‘an ku se. Everyone at N/a ‘an ku se came together for an animal themed celebration. A delicious dinner at the beautiful lodge was a nice change of scenery. The gorge now filling with the fallen rains is a site to behold! The giant catfish surfacing remind me of the hardships these animals face in a land of extremes. 

But the lodge was just one change of scenery…

One morning I was given an hours’ notice that I would be leaving for Solitaire along with Big Matt (Matt Cleverley). I would be shadowing biologists Matt Cleverley and Kate Echement in Solitaire to learn about the Namib Carnivore Conservation Center, a partnership organization between N/a ‘an ku se and the Solitaire Quest Farm House. The project was started in June of 2011 to promote the rehabilitation and reintroduction of large African carnivores. Here we study the carnivore populations and monitor both captive and wild cheetahs. A 500 hectare enclosure on site provides us the space necessary to rehabilitate cheetahs prior to reintroduction to the wild. The enclosure also serves as a mechanism for a soft release. For cheetahs, a soft release is the introduction into a holding boma at the release site, prior to release. It allows the animal some time to adapt to its new environment. It’s like putting a newly bought fish in a bag inside your fish tank before releasing it to its new world. It increases the chance that animal will survive. Other species like leopard are able to cope more with environmental changes. They experience a hard release, a direct release into the wild of a new environment. But leopards are hardy creatures in a land of extremes!

Solitaire:

Solitaire is a beautiful place! It’s that picturistic savannah you imagine in your head. Golden fields of grass with sparsely placed acacia trees stretched across the flat open plains. There’s a mountain range in the background and dry riverbeds of sand. The town itself is merely a gas station, an Inn, and a bakery. But it’s often visited by tourists heading to one of Nambia’s great attractions, Sossusvlei. Sossusvlei is said to have the highest dunes in the world (though this statement is debated). Regardless, Sossusvlei is spectacular! It is located in the Namib Naukluft park, the largest conservation area in all of Africa. A must for the bucket list!

Cheetahs:

Here at the Solitaire Quest Farm, the Namib Carnivore Conservation Center (NCCC) has four captive cheetahs. Two of our resident cheetahs, Pepper and Spartacus, will never be released. The famous Spartacus is a known calf killer. He was captured by a neighboring farmer and given to N/a ‘an ku se after losing over 25 calves. Because of his love for beef he will never have the opportunity to roam free. A life in captivity was his only alternative to death. But 500 hectares (5 square kilometers) allows him the space captive wildlife seldom experience. Tipping the scales at 60kg, Spartacus is the largest cheetah I have ever worked with! With most adult cheetahs weighing in at 40-50kg, he is a sight to behold! Both Spartacus and Pepper have lost their fear of humans and would approach people if released into the wild. They will live out the rest of their lives here in Solitaire.

Our other three cheetahs Laura, Rusty, and Sandy are working to be released. They have demonstrated their hunting abilities taking out Springbok inside the enclosure. The following steps include finding a suitable habitat with game, away from livestock farms before a release can be discussed. Visitors of the Solitaire Quest Farm have the opportunity to book tours to see the cheetahs and learn more about the NCCC’s goals. Tours not only support the organization but offer a unique opportunity for guests to learn about the conservation of large African carnivores.

A Sad Story:

One morning we noticed Sandy appeared quite weak. We monitored her closely on a daily basis to see if she improved. After failing to get her to feed we knew there was an issue. Fluids and antibiotics were administered after Rudie made a special trip to dart her. When her condition did not improve, we grew increasingly concerned. We had no choice but to take her to a vet in Windhoek. This required darting her again. Unfortunately we did not have the equipment, drugs, or a veterinarian on standby, and Rudie was busy. So we had no choice but to do it by hand! Using the trees, a bit of fencing material, a tarp, two volunteers, and a vehicle, we constructed a boma. But this was only the beginning. We still had to keep Sandy’s mother and sister away (Laura and Rusty) while attempting to heard the Sandy from a nearby bush, into our makeshift boma. Using volunteers to prop up the fence, it was up to Kate and I to steer Sandy towards the boma. After two failed attempts, it looked hopeless. But on our third attempt she was in! I pulled the free fencing together to close the boma and when Sandy entered the box trap we had set, Kate slammed it shut! We were successful and Sandy experienced minimal stress. It was a great achievement for Kate and I. But not all stories end with a happy ending. Sadly, Sandy died in the vet clinic. She had scar tissue in her upper intestine which had formed a blockage, causing an obstruction. There was no warning, and only a necropsy revealed this knowledge. In the end we did our best with what we had, and that’s got to count for something.

My First Tour:

When Kate and Matt left me in charge for the weekend, something was bound to go wrong. I had never done a tour inside the NCCC’s enclosure, but I felt comfortable with my knowledge and history working with cheetahs. My first tour was in an old 1967 open Cruiser. Things were going well and I had just finished explaining something about coalitions. It wasn’t until after our beautiful sundowner when things went wrong. Jumping in the vehicle, I managed to get the old beast started. But when I went to switch on the headlights, they flickered for a moment as if to give me hope, then shut off. With poor reception and eight guests, calling for another vehicle was out of the question. I had no choice but to drive blindly in a camp of wild cheetahs. It wasn’t long until a large mound sent the quests flying off their seats. They were airborne, and I imagined the group demanding a full refund. I apologized and managed to get them back in one piece. Offloading, I couldn’t believe their faces! Despite the cold, rough drive, excitement gripped them. They had enjoyed the full African experience! I laughed, but I couldn’t help thinking how lucky I was that cheetahs are a diurnal predator. Thank God there weren’t leopards!

I’ll spend the next two weeks in Solitaire continuing to track our released cheetah, running tours, and working alongside Kate Echement and volunteers doing research related activities.

A Thank you to my friend, photographer, and volunteer, Marion Lingner
And for your help along with Monica Ackermann, who made Sandy’s capture possible!

Wishing you all the best,

Matthew Solberg

I would like to dedicate this entry to a good friend Robin. We had some good times bra, and I wish you the best in Germany. N/a ‘an ku se won’t be the same without you.