According to research, 20% of all of the cheetahs in Africa live in Namibia, and 90% of those live in farmland. The problem with that is when the cheetahs attack the farm animals, the farmers shoot them.
The cheetah farm is called a farm because it is a working farm with livestock but also happens to rescue the beautiful spotted cats.
How to get to the Cheetah Farm in Namibia
The only real way to get to the cheetah farm is by self-driving or as part of a tour. We visited as part of our overland safari tour through Namibia and beyond. The gates to the farm are usually closed but not locked. Open them and then reclose them after you enter.
Cheetah farm address: Farm Sendeling, Kamanjab, Namibia, Namibia
GPS Coordinates: S.19.591350 E 15.066516
Planning your visit to the Cheetah Farm
The farm is very much a small family business, and it’s probably best to contact them before showing up. You may be able to visit with the cheetahs and see a feeding without scheduling in advance, but we would recommend trying to prearrange your visit.
- Contact: Roeleen Nel
- Telephone number: 264 67 330201
- Email: [email protected]
Our experience at the Cheetah Farm
As we pull up to the gates of the farmhouse, two dogs and four cheetahs come running to the fence to see who has just pulled in. Without the spots, you would have thought they were the family dogs.
As dog-like as they may seem, they are still very much felines. They remind us of their cat heritage ones they get to know us and begin to purr like an oversized house cat.
The similarities to your cat at home don’t stop there. After playing for a while, one cheetah laid down next to me and began to lick me. Her tongue felt just like a cat’s: as rough as sandpaper. She reminds us of a much bigger version of our cat Tinkerbell, who is at home with the Rover.com pet sitter.
Of all the amazing things we’ve done on our safari, being licked by a cheetah was pretty cool.
The Cheetah farm is not a formal conservation effort, but the operators of the farm have taken in cheetahs that were orphaned or would have otherwise been shot. They took them in and built large (many acres) enclosures for them to live in.
The cheetahs that live in the house just live in the house like a dog, no chains, cages or anything like that. Just like a spotted dog.
Cheetah Feeding Daily
At the farm, there is no exploitation of the animals. A majority of the cats live outside in a wild setting and only see humans when they are fed.
Every day, the farm operators drive out into the open pens to feed the ‘wild’ cheetahs who are too aggressive or wild to be in the house with the other cheetahs. The shy ‘wild’ cats grabbed the food they were tossed and went back into the bush.
After visiting the Cheetah farm in Namibia while on our overland safari with Acacia-Africa I would be pretty happy if I was a Cheetah farmer.
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Now that you know what to expect on an African safari, you have no reason not to go. If you are looking at taking a safari on your own, we cannot recommend Acacia Africa enough.
