GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - A picturesque Game Reserve in the Garden Route has welcomed another apex predator, with the world's fastest land mammal, the Cheetah, now calling the Botlierskop Private Game Reserve home.
The three year old male, named Hobbes, became the first Cheetah to set foot on Botlierskop on Tuesday, 1 March after having lived in a reserve in the greater Karoo.
Hobbes contracted a broken heel bone, most likely during a chase, and as Wildlife Vet Dr Willem Burger confirmed, an injury of this nature would render him unable to hunt.
This would effectively be a death sentence for a young Cheetah.
Photographer Jeff Ayliffe captured this moment of Hobbes being set free.
The decision was made to rehabilitate Hobbes, and despite the bone healing well, he had lost much of his muscle power. Under the care of Ashia Cheetah Conservation, he was guided through a recovery period and a gradual reintroduction of walks and runs, and the strength returned.
His time at Botlierskop will allow him a perfect environment to return to the wild, and his progress will be closely monitored by Dr Burger and his team. Cheetahs, like all apex predators, have incredible instincts, and history has shown seamless adaptions to hunting.
Hobbes is not likely to be lonely, with the arrival of his female companion expected soon, and the reserve is excited about the prospect of a new cheetah generation growing at Botlierskop.
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