Four ladies are the first to undergo basic training to establish the first Cheetah unit
- Hannah Tranter
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
Four women went through the scout selection process and were selected out of an initial 20 women to undergo basic training to become scouts. These are the very first women to be training to be scouts in the area and we are proud of their leadership, motivation and enthusiasm!
Inspired by a Hwange legend, a female cheetah called Queenie,
our Cheetahs will encourage women to become Community Wildlife Protection scouts and add value to the existing team of scouts.
Meet the ladies…
Propitious, 20 years old, Nganyana village
Propitious is a quiet and shy girl, but pushes herself physically and is prepared to step out of her comfort zone and adapt to different environments.
Nodumo, 21 years old, Vulashaba village
Nodumo is bush savvy and great at tracking and reading animals. She is driven by the idea of working with wildlife and stoping poaching in her area.
Patience, 20 years old, Ngamo village
Patience is intelligent and a great team player. She is passionate about nature and wildlife. Being a scout and potentially becoming a guide have been her dream for a while.
Nonhlanhla, 19 years old, Janiza village
Nonhlanhla is physically fit and interested in technology and the strategies behind the anti-poaching and wildlife protection work the Cobras do. She is curious to learn more.
More about Hwange legend: Queenie
Queenie, identified as HNP 0013, was the definition of a supermom - she built an entire dynasty of cheetah that still live on the Ngamo Plains. She transformed the area and its cheetah populations remarkably. She was first seen on the Bomani Concession in 2011 and had her first litter in 2014, a second litter in 2016 (of five cubs, which is unusually large), a third in 2017. But in early 2018, something terrible happened to her cubs and Queenie was seen on her own, with a split right ear.
Around that same time, one of the Bomani Boys – the coalition of two cheetah males that had been dominating the area since they had dispersed 5 years prior – died.
The surviving Bomani Boy brother was seen honeymooning with Queenie. He was then seen injured and suffering from an infected and terrible abdominal wound (perhaps from a horn), making him vulnerable and weak; he was subsequently killed, probably by baboons. When Queenie was seen in early 2019 with a new litter of four cubs, it was assumed that these must have been the sons and daughters of the late Bomani Boy. By May 2019, two of the four cubs were still alive. She was last seen a few months later looking tired and a bit beaten up, probably from lions.
The legacy Queenie built is remarkable; her contributions to cheetah populations in southern Hwange are still echoing today.
