One of the cheetahs translocated from SA to Mozambique in late May in its boma. (Photo: The Origins Foundation / Kolby Edwards) 
The translocation of 16 cheetahs in two batches from South Africa to Mozambique is going relatively smoothly, with no fatalities to date and cautious hope that the speedy cats will quickly adapt to their new environment.
Renowned cheetah conservationist Vincent van der Merwe, who took his own life in Riyadh on 16 March 2025, was a key architect of the project and it will be a fitting epitaph to his legacy if it proves to be a success.
In April, the first group of 12 cheetahs was flown to Tete from Johannesburg and then taken by bakkie, boat and tractor to the 210,000 hectare Panyame Wildlife Conservancy in Mozambique.
Covered first-hand by Daily Maverick, that arduous journey underscored the unexpected challenges that confront wildlife relocations and the passion of the conservationists involved.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mutambo-x-BO-515.jpg "A crate carrying one of the cheetahs translocated to Mozambique from South Africa in late May. (Photo: The Origins Foundation / Kolby Edwards)")
The second group of four cats was translocated in late May in a faster fashion as they could be flown to the conservancy after clearing customs in Tete - an option that got washed away by heavy rains in April, which waterlogged the Panyame airstrip.
In an update on the translocation, Justin Rodger, a Zimbabwean conservationist and key player in the project whose family runs a hunting concession at Panyame, told Daily Maverick that the cheetahs were released gradually in batches after spending four to six weeks in specially built bomas.
“The cats were kept in the bomas for a minimum of 30 days. The advice was to let them settle down and monitor their behaviour as closely as possible to release a cheetah that was deemed to be a relaxed cheetah,” said Rodger.
The female cheetahs from the initial dozen were released first. But with the second group of four, the gender dynamics were reversed with the three male cheetahs released first.
“It’s important to note that there is no playbook here. Nobody has done this before at this scale and the logistics that we are encountering,” said Robbie Kroger, founder and executive director of The Origins Foundation, which is funding the project.
Indeed, while the second batch was moved at a faster pace, there was some turbulence in the air.
“One male we almost lost twice on the flights. He was not settling down in the crate ... We had a fan from one of the donors, and we were able to open the crate a bit and cool the cheetah down. It was literally freaking out. Everyone’s anxiety levels were through the roof,” said Kroger.
“But he’s done phenomenally well. He’s released well, and is alive and kicking.”
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/unnamed-1-1.jpg "A sedated cheetah that was translocated from SA to Mozambique in late May, part of the second batch that was moved. (Photo: The Origins Foundation / Kolby Edwards)")
That feline feeling The release schedule also followed the observed interactions between the cats. On her release, one of the female cheetahs appeared to interact via “romantic” vocalisations, with one of the male cheetahs while it was still in its boma. So, that male was then released.
The cheetahs all have radio collars and no mating has been recorded among the cats as yet. But they have been observed hunting impala, bushbuck and grysbok.
The cheetahs are all wild adults and were selected from South African reserves with free-ranging lion and leopard populations - crucial upbringing for the predatory and unforgiving landscape of the Middle Zambezi Valley.
Some of the cheetahs have roamed far and wide - there are no fences to contain their movements in this remote part of Mozambique, which borders wild regions in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
A trio of male cheetahs, originally from the Kalahari, travelled 268km in 37 days as of 4 August, all the way to Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe and then back to Mozambique. A female cheetah named Evey also did a 200km round trip into Zimbabwe and back.
So, there is cautious optimism that these cheetahs will take to their new and challenging surroundings, filling an ecological niche that was opened by their long absence from the region.
The seeds of this translocation were planted in 2023 when a lone male cheetah appeared out of the blue at Panyame. His tracks have recently been spotted around the airstrip there - and he is no longer a lonely bachelor wandering in the wilderness. DM