Translocated cheetahs find their feet in Mozambique

Two separate groups of adult South African cheetahs have now found a new home in a vast conservancy in Tete province, and they've been hunting, roaming - and making romantic overtures

- By Ed Stoddard

The translocation of 16 cheetahs in two batches from South Africa to Mozambique is going relatively smoothly, with no fatalities to date and cautious hope that the speedy cats will quickly adapt to their new environment.

Renowned cheetah conservationist Vincent van der Merwe, who took his own life in Riyadh on 16 March, was a key architect of the project and it will be a fitting epitaph to his legacy if it proves to be a success.

In April, the first group of 12 cheetahs was flown to Tete from Johannesburg and then taken by bakkie, boat and tractor to the 210,000ha Panyame Wildlife Conservancy in Mozambique.

Covered firsthand by Daily Maverick, that arduous journey underscored the unexpected challenges that confront wildlife relocations and the passion of the conservationists involved.

The second group of four cats was translocated in late May in a faster fashion because they could be flown to the conservancy after clearing customs in Tete — an option that got washed away by heavy rains in April, which waterlogged the Panyame airstrip.