Our home page: Namibia Travel> Lodges in Namibia

Otjitotongwe Cheetah Farm

See Wild and Tame Cheetah

The Otjitotongwe Cheetah Farm in north western Namibia is home to a non-profit organisation aimed at conserving cheetahs in a natural environment. The farm is 7000 ha, and has both tame and wild cheetahs, many bought from farmers to prevent them from being killed. The farm offers superb photographic opportunities at scheduled cheetah feedings, and also offers guided game drives and nature walks.

The cheetah originally occupied most of Africa except for the equatorial forest and the true desert (Sahara), as well as much of the Middle East and India, where it become extinct in the early 1950's. It is now extremely rare in the rest of Asia and Africa north of the equator. It is estimated that there are less than 7500 cheetah left in the world, and about 6000 of these are found in Southern Africa. According to a 1970 study the numbers of cheetah in Namibia had improved, due apparently to the removal of lion and hyena by farmers, and in some cases the re-introduction of antelope species favoured by these fleet-footed cats. More recent surveys have shown that Namibia has 2000-2500 cheetah, of which 95% are on private (game or cattle) farms. Unfortunately, some farmers have continued to shoot cheetah because of their tendency to raid stock, particularly where their natural prey species are scarce, or absent. Whilst the current figures do not make the cheetahs endangered in the absolute sense of the word, the extraordinary degree of genetic uniformity that these cats have been shown to exhibit, raises the possibility that a disease could devastate wild populations. Otjitotongwe is dedicated to the preservation of the cheetah species.

Rates - Valid from 1 November 2007 until 31 October 2008

Dinner, Bed & Breakfast (B&B)

Directions

Travelling from the south, fork left after Outjo towards Kamanjab on the C40. The turning for the Otjitotongwe Cheetah farm is 24km east of Kamanjab on the north side of the road.