First Wild Cheetahs Born in Free State In Over A Century

PHILIPPOLIS, South Africa, Feb. 21, 2017

Save China's Tigers and Laohu Valley Reserve announced the birth of 3 wild cheetah cubs on the 350 sq. km South Africa reserve. Cheetahs are I.U.C.N red-listed as 'Vulnerable'.

The reserve's three adult cheetahs are the only free-ranging cheetahs in the Free State province, making the three new 3 cubs the first cheetahs born in the wild since their disappearance from the province in well over a century.

Stuart Bray, co-founder of Save China's Tigers, said: "We are delighted about this affirmation of an important part of our mission that includes the decade-long restoration of lands and indigenous flora and fauna of the Laohu Valley Reserve."

In 2013, in a special partnership with Endangered Wildlife Trust, two male cheetahs were provided to the reserve followed by a female in early 2016. Vincent van der Merwe of the Endangered Wildlife Trust said: "Thank you kindly to the Laohu Valley team for providing the necessary safe space for cheetah conservation efforts".

Laohu Valley Reserve is one of the largest privately owned protected areas in South Africa. While principally focused on the endangered South China tigers prior to re-introduction to protected reserves in China, the project involves the ambitious restoration of the reserve's 33,000 ha of habitat in an effort to restore the environment to its natural state. This has included: removing over 350 km of internal fences, surplus farm buildings, clearing traps and poisons and exotic flora as well as a substantial increase in several ungulate species through selected re-introduction and natural species recovery.

PHOTOS:
http://pix.chinastigers.org/mom.jpg
http://pix.chinastigers.org/cubs1.jpg
http://pix.chinastigers.org/cubs2.jpg
http://pix.chinastigers.org/cubs3.jpg

Further inquires can be made to Save China’s Tigers at:
info@savechinastigers.org

SOURCE: The Chinese Tiger Project