By Femke Broekhuis, PhD
Project Director
Don’t:
– Come too close to the cheetahs. Even if cheetahs are used to the presence of vehicles they are wild animals and we need to treat them with respect
– Surround a cheetah on a kill. Kills often attract other predators such as lions and spotted hyaenas so make sure that they (cheetahs) can see approaching dangers
– Come between a mother and her cubs as this will stress both the mother and cubs
– Overcrowd at a cheetah sighting. If there are too many vehicles then see if you can return to the sighting later
– Let cheetahs climb on your vehicles! Some cheetahs are known to do so – if you see one of these cheetahs approaching, move away slowly
– Try and get a cheetah’s attention by making unnecessary noise, for example hooting or banging on the car door, or throwing objects at a cheetah
Do:
– Keep at distance of at least 25m
– When a cheetah is hunting keep your distance so that you do not disturb the prey or cheetah. If the cheetah is successful do not immediately rush in to see the cheetah Give the cheetah some time and then slowly and quietly approach the cheetah.
– Keep noise levels down to a minimum to minimize the stress on an individual
The Mara Cheetah Project is working to conserve cheetahs in the Maasai Mara landscape.
To donate or find out more about this project visit www.maracheetahs.org.