Three male cheetahs have been reintroduced to the Bangweulu Wetlands in Zambia by NPO African Parks. This is the first time in nearly 100 years that these big cats will be found in the area.
The cheetahs were relocated from South Africa after a collaboration between Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), African Parks, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), Ashia Cheetah Conservation and National Geographic, African Parks said in a statement.
‘With the reintroduction of cheetahs to this extraordinary wetland, Bangweulu serves as a paragon for community conservation. Our unique partnership with the Community Resource Boards and African Parks has unlocked an opportunity here to help protect this vulnerable species from extinction in the wild, while helping to revitalize Bangweulu and enhance nature-based tourism,’ said Dr Chuma Simukonda, Director of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife.
‘We are proud to be working together to preserve biodiversity, securing lasting benefits not just for local communities and for all Zambians – but as a contribution to securing a sustainable legacy for the planet’.
African Parks currently manage 19 national parks and protected areas in 11 countries covering over 14.2 million hectares in: Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, they say on their website.
Take a look at the cheetahs being released:
Cheetahs return to Bangweulu Wetlands after a 100 yr absence. In partnership with the DNPW & Community Resource Boards & in collaboration with @TheEWT & Ashia Cheetah Conservation, we translocated 3 cheetahs from South Africa to Bangweulu, Zambia: https://t.co/cujYhCqmQY pic.twitter.com/I1vYGQa5kX
— African Parks (@AfricanParks) December 18, 2020
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Picture: Screenshot from video
