I cuddled a Cheetah (Other locations...)

Member Name: Otjiwarotji

Product:	Other locations...
Date:	01/09/01 (141 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Get close to wildlife, Great facilities, Attractive spacious grounds

Disadvantages: A long drive from the nearest town Gobabis

If you're lucky enough to visit Namibia and you LOVE wildlife especially big cats then you MUST pay a visit to Harnas, about 100 kms from Gobabis.

At Harnas, injured and orphaned wild animals have been cared for and, where possible rehabilitated into the wild for over 20 years and tourists who want more than to view animals from afar are welcomed to visit and interact with the orphans, you can watch lions being fed, play with cheetahs on the lawn and hold a baby leopard cub..... BLISS !!!!

We arrived at 10.30 am after a pretty gruelling but very scenic 4 hour drive from Windhoek, I was glad we were being driven on the final 50 kms of rough dirt road by friends used to driving off road, Harnas is in the middle of nowhere! We arrived without a second to spare as we were rushing to arrive in time to accompany the farm staff on the morning feed and were unceremoniously bundled into the open back of a truck and off we bounced through the farm.

First we drove through the bush to watch lions and cheetahs being fed, although they were behind fences we were taken very close but I was a little disappointed at first it was a bit like feeding time at a zoo, but next we were driven into an enclosure containing the quite rare and endangered African wild dogs who fought for food around us as we watched in awe these beautiful animals who we were told had just produced a litter of pups and all the pack take it ib turns to feed and baby sit. then we were driven very fast beside the huge area where these animals live and were amazed when it was pointed out that one dog running alongside us had only 3 legs yet he could run like the wind. Two of the people who work there (lucky things) alighted from the vehicle with a huge wild animals tail and called the dogs who slunk out from the trees and surrounded the men, when there was a big crowd of dogs all yapping and barking in quite high pitched voices the tail was thrown to them and they showed how their team
working skills can bring down prey as they madea concerted tug of war and none of them would let go, it was bit sobering to see the animals we were amongst and had all been saying "aren't they lovely - just like pet dogs" suddenly transformed into efficient killing machines.

After this sobering moment we were driven a bit further and all piled out of the vehicle to help feed caracal, these small wild cats also known as lynx with their beautiful pointed ears were so absorbed in ripping the flesh from their food we coul dget within feet and of course the guides stayed close with electric prods just in case we were seen as the next snack.While they ate the 8 of us guests had our cameras clicking to cries of OOh ahh!!

Driving on we were taken to see leopards and more lions. We were introduced to the two male lion with feline aids, who was otherwise perfectly healthy when he was taken to the vets for a small operation but came back with the virus, probably caught from a domestic house cat who had been previously trated at the vets and the equipment had been inadequately sterilised.
Three lionesses were in one enclosure and two came boldly forward to be fed the third hung back shyly until its two older sisters ghad eaten and only then would it eat. But this wasn't another lioness it was their brother who had lost all his mane and been completely emasculated by illness and no other males would accept him into their company so he lived with his two sisters who treated him as an inferior female member of their pride.

Then back to the main farm where a tour of the small orphans was arranged. As we were guests all the way from England and very unfortuantely we were running to a tight schedule we needed to laeve that afternoon and were very upset to realise we would miss the planned tour of the small animals usually held around late afternoon. These kind people organised a special tour just for us and we were taken by foot aroun
d the farm area where there are the most beautifully tended gardens, and a restaurant and bar. While we were waiting for our guide to arrive we looked around the gardens where we were chased by a large ostrich and looked for a respite on an ornamental bridge, only to spot the huge crocodile beneath grinning at us ( well I think she was grinning!!!)

Nest we heard a bit of a cafuffle and were amazed to see a baby leopard curiously stalking a baby meercat, the meercat wasn't having any of it and I have wonderful photo of the two of them together, the tiny meercat stubbornly refusing to let this fat kitten pick it up, David Attenborough eat your heart out .... documetnatries will never be the same again.
Our guide Nick arrived and led us into an enclosure with six or seven young cheetahs, about 18 months to two years old, he boldly approached them and sat down and began to stroke and play with them, my head was reeling and I got some great photos, how lovely to be only 3 or 4 feet away while this young man played with cheetahs in our presence, but he was waving us over and indicating that we could stroke them I couldn't belive it but we carefully approached and I knelt down and the next thing I had a full grown young cheetah in my arms its fur was so rough around the neck yet so thick and soft and purr, it was like a dynamo, I honestly thought I'd died and gone to heaven, a nother young cheetah became jealous and approached nudging my feet and making this small babyish noise to get my attention and I sat down in the dust and held this cheetah and carefully watched by the guide put my fact into its neck and all the time it purred and my tears of joy rolled into its thick soft fur.

But, wait this isn't all there is? No we, reluctantly left our new friends and wer shown into a small courtyard to play with baby leopard cubs, and tiny orphaned baboons, baby meercats running around under our feet. I picked up a small leopard cub who lo
oked just like a fat kitten but boy was he heavier it was like trying to pick up and alsatian dog and he didn't want to be cuddled, he told me he wasn't a baby he was a big ferocious wild cat and his paws flailed and he growled and hissed and struggled until, defeated by this squirming bundle of fur I placed him back down on the floor and he rewarded me by rolling over to have his tummy tickled! I honestly thought this was the end of our meetings and used up the last of the film in my camera ( I have the most amazing photo of the baby leopard rolling on a bamboo chair) and we sadly prepared to be taken back to our car, when we were suddenly taken around the corner onto the lawn and told to wait and then Nick appeared leading a HUGE, full grown adult male Cheetah and told "go on play with him" We rolled around on th elawn playing with this incredibly gentle wild animal who had become humanised, we were told he was the very same animal who features in the TV advert for the Freelander car.

BUT and this must be the biggest regret of my life .... I had used up all my film on the babies and I had no film in my camera so this final experience must remain locked in my mind as one of my best ever memories, with no evidence to prove that I rolled on the ground with a huge cheetah ( although I have lots of pics with the younger ones)


There is a camp site and chalets if you want to stay there for more than a day trip. A lovely restaurant and excellent facilities for visitors, but it is getting close to these creatures which makes it so special. I was amazed to meet Marieta Van der Merwe, the owner and founder walking through the grounds nursing a tiny baby leopard and wearing strange furry boots .... double take ... no it was 2 teeny weeny orphan baby baboons clinging to her legs as she walked among visitors.

A fantastic experience. But learn by my mistake, don't use up all your film in the first half hour and have to come
away without a photo of yourself tumbling on the grass with a full grown cheetah.
You can check out Harnas at their website
www.harnas.org
You can sponsor an orphan too and help preserve these amazing animals.

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