Einstein

During my time at Naankuse, a wild cheetah named Einstein was brought into the sanctuary and we got to watch and assist as he was tranquilised, vasectomised, and had his gps collar removed. Einstein's territory encompassed several properties in southern Namibia, including Neuras. Several farmers in the area were suffering stock losses by cheetah predation and the team at Neuras thought Einstein might be responsible. They managed to trap and fit Einstein with a GPS collar while he was visiting the Neuras property and the GPS points proved that Einstein was ignoring the native game and choosing to predate on stock instead. When he decided to kill and eat a very expensive prize ram he effectively put a target on his head. The farmers of the area were planning to shoot all cheetahs on site to protect their stock unless the Neuras team could prove that they had removed the problem cheetah from the area. Thankfully Einstein returned to Neuras and went into one of the traps. He was then transported the 5hr drive up to Naankuse to be processed and put into an enclosure. The team are planning to build a large free-range enclosure for him at Neuras so he can return to his home, but unfortunately he will have to live out his days in captivity. I'm sure all that lamb and beef was tasty, but it probably wasn't worth it. Personally, I find kudu to be just as tasty as beef.

Its sad that Einstein will no longer be a wild cheetah, but by removing a proven stock killer from the area, Naankuse and Neuras are building relationships and respect with the local farmers and are protecting all the other cats in the area from persecution. It was a privilege to be involved in the work they are doing.