It has been four years since our time in South Africa. The DeWildt Cheetah Centre is thriving. It is financially stable thanks largely to contributions from supporters in the US and Great Britain, corporate sponsorships, and to cheetah adoptions by individuals. DeWildt is still the world's leading breeder of cheetahs, mostly for export to zoos around the world. This not only reduces the need for capturing cheetahs in the wild, it allows people to see and appreciate these wonderful cats in person.
Ann continues in her role as Alpha female and has taken over as curator after Alan’s departure from DeWildt. Vanessa is married now but continues her annual fundraising trips to the US. We hope to see her in Colorado this summer. It has been a busy four years for Kelly. She and Daniel have also tied the knot but not before she represented South Africa in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens in fencing. Kelly and Deon also survived a near fatal crash in the microlight aircraft while on a cheetah tracking mission.
The Cheetah Lodge has new managers and has become the place to stay around DeWildt. The adjacent chicken farm has been incorporated into the Cheetah Centre and we have been told the workers are now housed in the refurbished buildings complete with electricity.
Our friend Parks left teaching for an education position with the Pretoria Zoo where he can teach and inspire even more young Africans. His friend Amos is now in charge the education program at the Centre and is doing a wonderful job. Byron is still the reigning ambassador of DeWildt but he has several lesser ambassador cheetahs sharing his workload.
If you are traveling to South Africa, a visit to the DeWildt Cheetah Centre is a worthwhile addition to your trip. Check them out at www.cheetahs.org
