Although cheetahs are not entirely endangered yet, they are walking the line. Currently these animals are classified as vulnerable with only around 6 500 remaining in the wild worldwide.

The largest threat to the cheetah population is the loss of habitat, human-wildlife conflict, poaching and illegal trade.

The Karongwe Private Game Reserve realised the importance of protecting one of their cheetah females and Gallagher Animal Management stepped in to lend a helping hand.

Cheetah in need

Edwin Young, Warden at the Karongwe Private Game Reserve explains that one of their cheetah females stepped in a thorn and as a result she got infection in her leg. Because she was vulnerable, they decided to treat her.

“This is not the normal route for most wildlife, but given that their conservation status is up as endangered we make sure that we look after them,” Edwin said.

Karongwe has been a dedicated customer of Gallagher for more than fifteen years and when Gallagher heard about the cheetah they wanted to help.

Gallagher sponsored a solar energizer with an app Gateway to the Karongwe reserve for their cheetah boma. The electrified boma will keep the cheetah safe and will keep other predators from her.

The Gallagher set-up

For this cheetah enclosure Gallagher installed a MBS2800i solar energizer. This unit provides 24-hour remote monitoring and control with the Gallagher Ag Devices mobile app. The app allows you to monitor performance, fence faults and turn the fence on and off.

Henry Venter, Inland Territory Manager of Gallagher, said they also installed the wi-fi iSeries App Gateway with the eye on future expansions.

“The app Gateway will assist the reserve when they want to expand. It will give them visibility over all their energizers and fences for the whole reserve,” he explained.

The iSeries App Gateway has Bluetooth connectivity to update the AG Devices app with immediate performance information as you walk or drive past the energizer.

The entire system is neatly fitted into a panel that was generously donated and built by Devtech civil and electrical contractors and runs from a solar panel and can be controlled from your smartphone.

A massive surprise

Once the cheetah was safely placed in her newly electrified boma, the vet confirmed that she was pregnant.

The Reserve decided to let her have her cubs in the boma. This will help with genetics and help repopulate other game reserves that also need new genetics to contribute to their diversity.

“We are incredibly lucky to be here and be able to help her out. We thank Gallagher for their contribution to these conservation efforts,” says Edwin.

“Karongwe is a unique park. One of the Gallagher values is social responsibility, and we are committed to sustainability in all aspects, including conservation. We want to be part of our communities and would take on a project like this in the future again,” said Henry.

Visit their website at www.gallaghersa.co.za for more information.