SIFAKA BLOG

There are a lot of ups and downs in helping animals survive. Here is a very good example. Recently we released 4 long-time captive female cheetahs into our very large game camp here in Africa. The camp is a safe place where these females can learn to hunt. If they are successful, they can be returned to the wild. To return a captive cheetah to the wild—long thought impossible—is a MAJOR accomplishment!

We had no time to celebrate the release of our 4 female cheetahs. That same day we received 4 very young orphaned cubs that were scared, filthy and underweight.











Our Cheetah Conservation Fund staff went to work. The second photo here shows how the cubs are now healthy-looking.












But the fencing in the background of the photo is a sad reminder that because the cubs were orphaned so young, they may never be able to be released back into the wild.

Working to save cheetahs from extinction is often a two-steps-forward, one-step-back process. But we remain determined to continue our march until there is a large healthy cheetah population living in the wild.

The Cheetah Conservation Fund recently got in another orphaned cheetah cub. The Namibian Government got a hold of the cub and called us to come and help. When the little girl arrived at CCF she was in excellent health, although she was very scared. She has an angry little face, and she paces across her yard most of the day. We think she is about four months old, which means that it is unlikely that she will ever be able to return to the wild. Her name is Tiny Rohini Talalla, and she is quickly capturing our hearts!

Cheetah cubs spend nearly 22 months with their mothers before they are able to hunt and survive on their own. This makes it very difficult for a young orphaned cheetah to ever be able to fully survive outside of captivity. We must be in contact with these young orphans in order for them to survive, which means they become somewhat used to humans. Even if we could teach the orphans how to hunt, they would not know that they should be scared of humans. So, if we were to release these animals, they would likely come too close to humans and cause conflict.

For now, we are trying our best to make sure that Tiny Rohini Talalla has a very nice life. Her cage actually sits right in front of my desk, so I get to watch her all day long as I do my work! Also, when she grows up, she may even get to live with little Polly. We’re hoping that they would be very good friends for each other, but we’ll see how it goes!

The Cheetah Conservation Fund uses something called a camera trap to get information about wild cheetah populations and also our black rhinos. The best part of a camera trap is that you can collect a lot of information without disturbing the animals at all.
Basically, a camera trap consists of two camera stations that are set up along a path or by a known cheetah play-tree. You usually choose a path that you know an animal might walk along, and a play-tree is a tree that cheetahs will use to mark their territory and advertise for a mate. In many ways, play-trees are the center of the cheetah’s social world.
Anyways, we set up what looks like a camera on a pole on both sides of the play-tree or both sides of a path. Then, when a cheetah or rhino walks past the cameras, a motion sensor makes the cameras take a picture. Because you have two cameras, you get a picture of each side of the animal. For an animal like a cheetah, this allows you to find spot patterns that help identify one cheetah from another. Camera traps allow you to identify individual animals, know how many animals live in a certain area, monitor their movements, and even to know when during the day the animals are active. They’re great!

Hai ya!! and hello to all you karate kids out there, SifakaWorld is throwing another party this Friday!

WHERE?
Log into JUNGLE GYM because the party is only there this Friday. Head on over to Asia to join in on the festivities. Don't forget to Talk to the Red Panda to get your Karate Outfit!

WHEN?
The party is Friday, July 9th, at 5pm SIFAKA time (Sifaka clock is in the tree tops) and goes until 6pm SIFAKA time.

When I went out to see Quasar, Phoenix, and Soraya the other day, Quasar and Soraya were up in a tree! Cheetahs use trees, often referred to as “play-trees” in order to mark their territories and look for mates. Although Quasar and Soraya weren’t really marking their territory or advertising for a mate, they sure were having fun!

Hey everyone, SifakaWorld is throwing another party this Thursday! Since it's been so hot lately we thought it would be fun to throw a "cool" party!

WHERE?
Log into JUNGLE GYM because the party is only there this Thursday. Head on over to the North Pole to join in on the festivities.

WHEN?
The party is Thursday, July 1st, at 10am SIFAKA time (Sifaka clock is in the tree tops) and goes until 11am SIFAKA time. There will be a best dressed fashion Show hosted by JohnnyFox, so wear your favorite SifakaWorld clothing items! Winners will receive Sifaka Cash.

Hey everyone, SifakaWorld is throwing another party this Thursday! Since it's been so hot lately we thought it would be fun to throw a "cool" party!

WHERE?
Log into JUNGLE GYM because the party is only there this Thursday. Head on over to the North Pole to join in on the festivities.

WHEN?
The party is Thursday, June 24th, at 10am SIFAKA time (Sifaka clock is in the tree tops) and goes until 11am SIFAKA time. There will be a best dressed fashion Show hosted by JohnnyFox, so wear your favorite SifakaWorld clothing items! Winners will receive Sifaka Cash.