We didn't do many conventional game drives at the Savannah. I was able to take several game drives on the quad (motorcycles.)
The May/June 2006 issue of the FCF Journal
featured a remarkable story of the Savannah, a private game preserve
in South Africa that had successfully established a cheetah breeding
program. The owner of the Savannah, Bobby Hartslief, had bought
a single cheetah at an auction. He notified the Savanna's manager,
Pieter Kemp, that he needed infrastructure to house the cheetah-and
fast. One thing led to another and the Savannah found itself with
the unique problem of trying to find homes for many new-bloodline
cheetah.
One of the more surprising things about the Savannah is this amazing
place is accessible to the public. Over half the cheetah there
crave human interaction so humans visiting the compound does not
disrupt their routine. (You can visit too! See web address at
end of article.) Since the Savannah is just an hour's drive from
Johannesburg Airport-and we were going to be there anyway-it was
an obvious choice to extend our trip by ten days to visit the
Savannah.
This trip would be the culmination of a 20-year quest for me.
As I wrote in the Jan/Feb 2006 FCF Journal, in the mid-1980s I
became intrigued that cheetah were so tractable, they might make
good companions for humans. Indeed through the millennia, cheetah
have been kept as pets by kings and commoners. Finally, this commoner
would get to pet a cheetah.
We spotted Pieter Kemp the very moment we stepped into the lobby
Johannesburg Airport. He was easy to recognize. He was wearing
the same hat and smile that appeared on the front cover of the
May/June 2006 issue but no cheetah.
If I had to point to one theme of the Savannah, it would be hospitality.
Pieter immediately gave us a sample of the Savannah hospitality
by suggesting we stop, relax, and fetch a cup of latte right there
in the airport. After the rush-rush of the morning, I welcomed
this little break. This also gave Pieter an opportunity to introduce
us to the Savannah.
Soon we were on our way south to Free State via a modern highway
system. Those roads trickled to two lane roads and finally to
a ten-mile drive over dirt roads. At the final turn, there is
indeed an official government signpost pointing the way to the
Savanna. A half mile up the road, we reached the guard post and
worker's barracks. Pieter pushed a garage door-style opener and
the gates slid open. The first thing we saw inside the Savannah
was a sign warning "Speed limit 20 kph, Only cheetahs allowed
to exceed speed limit." Indeed!
There was much more activity at the Savannah
than I expected. Although they did not host overnight guests except
for us those ten days, several groups came by for game drives,
river rafting, luncheons, and of course, cheetah encounters. It
was fun to watch people's reactions to the cheetah. Most people
were very excited, some were cautious, and a few would not touch
the cheetah.
I did not expect game drives at the Savannah, but indeed their
2,500 acres are stocked with giraffe, white rhino, zebra, cape
buffalo, and an incredible array of hoof-stock. The many game
drive roads around the Savannah are helpfully labeled with street
signs bearing the names of some of the animals you might encounter
along that street. Even with the street signs' help, I managed
to find the wily giraffe only once on the entire ten days.
There are no cheetah running free in the Savannah, though that
is planned. An agreement has been reached for the seven adjacent
farms to remove enough fences so that the cheetah can roam over
74,000 acres. I think it will be exciting to encounter the cheetah
on a game drive.
The Savannah is roughly rectangular in shape and it is bounded on two sides by the Vaal River. Tour groups often go to the Savannah for a river rafting adventure. One day I helped move ten inflatable kayaks to the edge of an adjacent canal for a tour group. Pieter told me often these groups typically have a few people who panic at the last moment and a kayak might become available. Fortunately, that's what happened and we got to run some Class I rapids and see some of the islands along the river which are part of the Savanna's property.
 This
girl was being held becasue she was pregnant and having some
sort of medical problem. |