On our second trip to Namibia, we spent three days at Africat Foundation in Okonjima which rescues wild cats that are likely to be killed by villagers or those that have been orphaned and reintroduces them into the wild where they can. The beauty of the visit is the fact that you are travelling with staff who are monitoring and working with the animals.
The first visit is to the compound where they keep cheetahs who have become habituated and cannot be returned to the wild. Driving with lumps of flesh on the bonnet of our open Land Rover was a first and it was unnerving to be surrounded at very close quarters by half a dozen wild cats - but exhilarating.
The next day we tracked a cheetah across its enclosure - well over 50 sq km. Starting before dawn on a freezing morning, it took three hours to find the cheetah and then we were invited to walk to where it was resting. We were advised it was safe to go on foot with cheetahs as they do not attack from the front, unlike leopards. Our reward was finding a two together - this pairing was news to the staff - and watching them relax in the sun 20 metres away. We clocked our first close encounter with wild cats.
On the third day another cold, early start where we tracked a leopard in a second large enclosure, this time being counselled to stay firmly in the jeep. We found her drinking after eating some of her fresh kill.
The other significant sights we saw here were the Southern Cross and the Milky Way. Our elevated position and frosty clear nights gave a magnificent view of the night sky.
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