By Lerato Ndhlovu
Twin cheetahs Jabari and Kumbe arrive after their 30 hour journey from Canada
The spotted brother’s, were born in the Hemmingford zoo 18 months ago and recently made their way to Imire: Rhino & Wildlife Conservation, a protected wildlife area of Zimbabwe, to be reintroduced to their natural habitat.
On Imire’s facebook page they stated that “We are so delighted to be able to announce that Jabari and Kumbe have arrived safely into Zimbabwe after a long 30-hour journey from Parc Safari in Canada! The brothers were calm and comfortable throughout the flights and even chatted to each other using cheetah’s distinctive chirps!
“Kumbe and Jabari, now 18 months old, will now spend 60 days in their brand new quarantine boma to acclimatize to the current 30 degree plus Zimbabwean summer! They will lose their thick winter coat and begin to practice for their release into the main conservancy.”
The organization stated that the main objective of this amazing project, which took a year to institute, is to establish a breeding population at the park, that will assist in repopulating other reserves, once the cheetah’s master hunting and a female cheetah will be introduced.
Imire Conservancy Director Reilly Travers said: “It is an incredible privilege to participate in something that is groundbreaking, something that can make a significant difference to the cheetah population, I think this project is a huge step forward and I am really proud to be a part of the family.”
Parc Safari Zoo director Nathalie Santerre said the brothers are already displaying instincts that will serve them well in the wild.
“Right away, we saw perfect behaviors (like) the stalking of prey,” she said.
“They were chosen for their gene pool to bring diversity to the wild population, it’s not just about those two boys, it’s really about the big picture.” Zimbabwe and the cheetah population are really struggling and it’s very important to bring that gene pool and inject it into the wild population.”
To prepare them for their new home, Parc Safari staff helped the cubs hone their skills with lures and hunting games.
Damian Aspinall, Chairman of The Aspinall Foundation commented: “I would like to thank our incredible partners at Parc Safari, Imire and Ethopian Airways.
We have made history together and this groundbreaking project marks the start of the revival of the Zimbabwe cheetah population.”
