August 2025 saw a unique partnership between NGOs successfully relocate cheetahs across multiple provinces and even international borders, covering thousands of miles in just a few days. Today, we’re highlighting the Thanda-to-Abelana translocation. This collaboration brought together WeWild Africa, the Fisher Foundation, the Wildlife Emergency Fund, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), Abelana Game Reserve, and Thanda Safari. Our journey kicks off at Thanda Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal’s subtropical landscapes, where the day’s work began – relocating these endangered cats into new, safe habitats.

Thanda Private Game Reserve spans 14,000 hectares in northern KwaZulu-Natal and has been a Protected Environment under South Africa’s Biodiversity Stewardship Programme since 2014. Once a degraded cattle farm, it has been restored into a thriving savanna. As a partner in WWF’s Black Rhino Range Expansion Project and a founding member of Project Rhino KZN, it helps protect critically endangered rhinos and coordinate anti-poaching efforts across the province. It also collaborates with the Endangered Wildlife Trust through the national Cheetah Metapopulation Project, GPS-collaring and translocating cheetahs to maintain genetic diversity—a story we highlight today. 

The male cheetah earmarked for translocation today was already secured in a small boma. Dr. Trevor, working with the Thanda Safari and EWT team, darted the animal inside the enclosure, administered the necessary medications, and fitted a tracking collar. With preparations complete, we began the 700-kilometer journey, over ten hours on the road, to deliver him safely to his new home.

Abelana Game Reserve, a 15,000-hectare community-owned wilderness in Limpopo, has seen remarkable restoration since 2018, when it transitioned from years of neglect to a conservation stronghold next to Greater Kruger. The land has been restocked with mammals and now supports the Big Five.. Conservation at Abelana is data-driven: the LEO Africa research project tracks Big Five movements, reproduction, and habitat use with ID kits and camera traps, providing monthly reports that inform management decisions. Owned by the Mashishimale community, its name—Abelana, meaning “to share”—reflects its model of linking ecological renewal with human benefit, creating jobs and raising conservation awareness while securing a biodiverse landscape of riverine forests, rocky koppies, mopane woodland, and the Selati River corridor.

The team arrived well after nightfall, and the crate was gently placed and then opened in a soft-release boma. Still groggy from his translocation medication, the cheetah was closely monitored as he adjusted to his new surroundings. Our team stayed an extra day to check on his condition and meet his new companions. By the second day, he was eating well on an impala carcass—a great sign of his comfort in the new region. With the strong leadership of Abelana and their unique partnership with LEO Africa, he’s being monitored daily. We look forward to his release into the greater reserve.