Rewilding Cheetah from Australia

Tigergal

Tigergal

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I thought I’d start a thread for those interested in updates about the rewilding efforts for cheetah in Australia, given it’s probably not entirely appropriate to post these updates in any of the other cheetah threads. There are currently three rewilded Cheetah’s from Australia, all being born at the Wild Cat Conversation Centre in Wilberforce. They are:
0.1 Edie (born 2022, exported 2024)
0.1 Darcie (born 2024, exported 2025)
1.0 Ezra (born 2024, exported 2025)


All cats had a staged release, with Edie going to Mziki Private Game Reserve and Darcie and Ezra going to another reserve that is TBC. I’ll post a more detailed breakdown of each of the cheetah’s rewilding journeys over the next little while. I’ve found it very exciting to watch the rewilding effort for Edie, and hope Darcie and Ezra gave the same success
 
Tigergal said:
I thought I’d start a thread for those interested in updates about the rewilding efforts for cheetah in Australia, given it’s probably not entirely appropriate to post these updates in any of the other cheetah threads. There are currently three rewilded Cheetah’s from Australia, all being born at the Wild Cat Conversation Centre in Wilberforce. They are:
0.1 Edie (born 2022, exported 2024)
0.1 Darcie (born 2024, exported 2025)
1.0 Ezra (born 2024, exported 2025)


All cats had a staged release, with Edie going to Mziki Private Game Reserve and Darcie and Ezra going to another reserve that is TBC. I’ll post a more detailed breakdown of each of the cheetah’s rewilding journeys over the next little while. I’ve found it very exciting to watch the rewilding effort for Edie, and hope Darcie and Ezra gave the same success
Click to expand...
Great idea for a thread! In my opinion, it's certainly fascinating to track wild animals of a variety species and follow their lives in the wild (which can be much different that of a captive one).

It'll be intriguing to have further updates in the future - I'll certainly be following them closely via socials ect. Hopefully we get a good update on Ezra and Darcie soon.
 
Jambo said:
Great idea for a thread! In my opinion, it's certainly fascinating to track wild animals of a variety species and follow their lives in the wild (which can be much different that of a captive one).

It'll be intriguing to have further updates in the future - I'll certainly be following them closely via socials ect. Hopefully we get a good update on Ezra and Darcie soon.
Click to expand...

I agree, I’m very intrigued by the whole process and while there might be debates about the conservation value of such a endeavour I think it’s a fantastic step in the right direction for a modern zoo.

I do hope the lack of an update from Darcie and Ezra is a ‘no news is good news’ situation, but WWCC was very forthcoming with updates and pictures of Edie, so I guess time will tell
 
Edie - One of Sydney's first cheetah cubs and the first rewilded cheetah from Australia

Edie was born on 1st September 2022 to 0.1 Emmy and 1.0 Duke at the Wild Cat Conservation Centre (WWCC). Keepers stated that from an early age they thought she might be a great candidate for rewilding, given her confidence, keen observation skills, and adaptability. Edie’s genetics also played a part, with samples sent down to the University of Pretoria to test for ‘genetic suitability’. The results stated that her DNA was suitable for reintroduction to Africa and were the ‘perfect for infusion into the remaining cheetah population’. Cheetah Metapopulation Project Manager, Donovan De Swardt said of the project “Captive cheetah possess alleles (a form of gene) that are not represented in the free-ranging cheetah population. For this reason, cheetah such as Edie become vital additions to the metapopulation as a source of unrelated genetics for infusion into the project”.

The WWCC centre worked closely with the Cheetah Metapopulation Project to develop a plan for rewilding with Edie, after initially becoming partners in late 2023. Some more information on the Cheetah Metapopulation Project and the Partnership with the Wild Cat Conservation Centre:
The Cheetah Metapopulation Project entails the management of approximately 537 cheetahs on 75
reserves across Southern Africa and India. The project’s principal goal is to maintain a strong genetically diverse population of wild cheetah across their historical range. By definition, a metapopulation is a group of smaller populations of the same species that are separated by distance

Part of this rewilding plan included a specialised diet plan and rigours excerise routines. When I visited in March 2025, the team at WWCC spoke about relying heavily on carcass hunting and simulating similar time frames to when she would eat in the wild. They were also making sure they were making it difficult for Edie to access the carcass’- I assume there was also use of their lure/run system as well. During this time, the WWCC speaks about the ‘bureaucratic hurdles of international wildlife transportation’ as being quite a challenge, and while they don’t elaborate on this they thank Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water and Ms Susan Templeman MP, for being ‘invaluable in providing assistance and helping us push the approvals across the line for this historic moment’.

In March 2024, Edie was transported to Mziki Private Game Reserve on a flight sponsored by Qantas. Mziki Private Game Reserve (Also referred to as Mziki Safari Lodge) is a 600 hectare reserve located about 2 hours from Johannesburg. The Hexs River divides the reserve into two, and while some sources say that Edie was the first predator ‘reintroduced’ into Miziki, which was ‘previously cheetah habitat but they haven’t been here for some time’, there are others that note there is a low density of leopards in the area as well.

Edie’s rewilding process once in Africa was considered a ‘soft release’. She was initially placed in a smaller, quarantine boma with reserve staff still carcass feeding her while she adjusted to changes in climate and prey. Once quarantine was complete, she moved through various sized bomas as she moved through the rewilding plan, honing her hunting skills.

In June 2024 she was ‘reaslied’ from her final boma into the game reserve, fitted with a radio/satellite collar (Complete with painted, coat matching spots!) so that she could be tracked by the team at Mziki, and by late June she had made her first kill. By October 2024, she is noted as now being a ‘wild cheetah’ in the WWCC newletter:
Edie continues to reach and surpass every milestone in her rewilding journey. We are thrilled to announce that she has successfully completed the final phase of her rewilding at Mziki Private Game Reserve in South Africa and is now officially considered a wild cheetah!

Edie is now fully self-sufficient, hunting for herself and making multiple kills. She has shown remarkable skill in honing her abilities, particularly in selecting appropriate prey sizes, such as small antelope. Her successful adaptation to the wild is evident in how well she has established herself at Mziki, where she remains relaxed even when monitored daily by trackers and the team.

In May 2025, the WWCC posted on Instagram celebrating a year of Edie being ‘the first cheetah ever to be rewilded from Australia back to South Africa!’. Another update was posted in late July 2025, there’s a video in which Ben Britton talks about how well Edie has thrived in Africa, alongside the below caption:
We just returned from spending a few days with Edie at @mziki_safari_lodge, and it makes us so proud to see her living as a wild cheetah back in Africa! She is doing so well - living a wild life!

Stay tuned for more videos and photos this week, including a big surprise Edie had for us before we left!

As I mentioned in the WWCC news thread, I do think the surprise is that Edie is pregnant as cubs are clearly a huge goal as part of rewilding Edie. Both Ben Britton and Phillip Pallamar (Director of Mziki) talk about the hope that she will have cubs in late 2024, and this is also mentioned in the WWCC newsletter at a similar time. Two male cheetahs were also released into Mziki at the end of 2024.

Ben Britton talks about Edie being a pioneer – the first cheetah born in Sydney, and the first to be rewilded, with the hope being that many cheetah cubs born at the WWCC will also ‘return home’ to Africa. He is clearly very proud of the work he and the team at WWCC has done with rewilding Edie, as they should be for such a monumental effort. I am personally very excited to continue to watch Edie and the other rewilded cheetahs thrive!

A few other notes:
- Mziki Director Phillip Pallamar also stated in October 2024 that it had been in the works for a few years to get a predator on the reserve, so I am curious if that is a few years of working with the WWCC or a few years work in general to get a cheetah/predator back into the reserve.
- I really struggled to find firm dates/timelines for Edie’s transfer back to Africa and release, so apologises for the vagueness there and if the dates don’t exactly line up
 
Darcie and Ezra – Rewilded 2025

Overall, there is a lot less information about the rewilding process for Darcie and Ezra, with limited updates being released to the public but I have gathered what I can below

Both Darcie and Ezra were born at the Wild Cat Consercation Centre in April 2024, to 0.1 Emmy and 1.0 Duke. When Darcie and Ezra were 8 weeks old, they were rejected by Emmy (along with their now deceased litter mates, 1.0 Exton and 0.1 Dottie) after she was sedated for health reasons. They were handrasied by the team at the WWCC after this.

In late 2024, when the cubs were 7 months old, the decision was made to rewild both Darcie and Ezra as they had ‘demonstrated all the necessary traits to become valuable contributors to the metapopulation program’. It is noted that unlike Edie, the plan was that they will quarantine on arrival then a decision will be made about the best location for them. The WWCC also speaks about both cubs undergoing specialized training, including acclimatization to their transport crates for the long trip to South Africa. In Feburary 2025, the WWCC newsletter talks about how the process was in its final stages, how the custom built crates for the cubs had arrived on site and how 12 months was the perfect age to start the rewilding journey due to that being the natural dispersing age.

I was told in on the 23rd of March that Darcie and Ezra would be flying to South Africa the next week. In the June 2025 WWCC newsletter, it’s confirmed that Darcie and Ezra have moved to the JDF Private Reserve. Below is the excerpt from the newsletter:
Following in Edie’s pawprints, Darcie and Ezra have also made the journey home, now residing at the JDF Private Reserve, managed by Cango Wildlife Ranch. Both have settled in beautifully, showing all the signs of healthy, confident cats. They’re enjoying a diet of local game meats and adapting quickly to their new environment, never too picky when it comes to food!

From the pictures provided in the update, both cats were also fitted with radio/satellite collars. There have been no updates posted on Instagram for Darcie and Ezra since they begun their rewilding adventure. From what I can see one the Cango Wildlife Ranch website, they appear to be closer to a zoo than what Edie has moved to. It advertises being able to get into the enclosure with the cheetah, and feed them. From their website:
As none of our cats are intended for release into the wild, the majority are hand-raised by our care givers for a multitude of reasons, and sometimes circumstantial. It can happen that first time mothers (especially in cheetah) neglect the cubs. Additionally, cheetahs in general, are especially vulnerable as babies. We monitor them very closely and if we notice a serious drop in weight, or pick up on any unusual symptoms/general illness then we pull the cubs immediately to encourage survival rates.

Furthermore, by hand-rearing cubs, they grow to be very calm and relaxed animals which helps for medical or husbandry management and additionally encourages a strong relationship between animals and curators which ensures a stress-free animal/environment.

The ranch also posted on the 16th of December 2024 about their own rewilding journey, with pieces of the blog below:
A Historic Milestone - The Release of Our First Cheetah
Xyla’s Journey: A Leap Into the Wild...

The cheetah, an icon of speed and grace, is a symbol of the fragility of our natural world. Among these majestic creatures, one remarkable individual has captured the hearts of conservationists and animal lovers alike: Xyla, the first cheetah from Cango Wildlife Ranch to be rewilded in collaboration with SanWild Sanctuary. Her story is one of hope, perseverance, and the vital role conservation efforts play in preserving endangered species.

The ranch also has a ‘Cheetahland’ (Which has a picture of a leopard, but we won’t talk about that) but there’s little additional information available on the website about what this actually is or the differences. I wasn’t able to find anything about the JDF Private Reserve where Darcie and Ezra were released to, on the ranch website or on google.

And that’s it, a very short update for Darcie and Ezra! If anyone else has anymore information I’d love to know :)

Some notes:
- I do wonder if the lack of updates, and the choice to see how they settled prior to making a decision about their long-term homes was due to their hand-raising and if they were unsure how well they would adapt going from more human care than Edie did to rewilding. That being said, when I visited the centre in March this year, they were both very wary of humans, so maybe this is a moot point
- I am very curious about the JDF Private Reserve and what their rewilding actually looks like day to day
- There seemed to be a lot of updates around the crates for this rewilding. I wonder if this is a lesson learnt from rewilding Edie, or just a point of difference for the socials for this round.
 
Tigergal said:
Darcie and Ezra – Rewilded 2025

Overall, there is a lot less information about the rewilding process for Darcie and Ezra, with limited updates being released to the public but I have gathered what I can below

Both Darcie and Ezra were born at the Wild Cat Consercation Centre in April 2024, to 0.1 Emmy and 1.0 Duke. When Darcie and Ezra were 8 weeks old, they were rejected by Emmy (along with their now deceased litter mates, 1.0 Exton and 0.1 Dottie) after she was sedated for health reasons. They were handrasied by the team at the WWCC after this.

In late 2024, when the cubs were 7 months old, the decision was made to rewild both Darcie and Ezra as they had ‘demonstrated all the necessary traits to become valuable contributors to the metapopulation program’. It is noted that unlike Edie, the plan was that they will quarantine on arrival then a decision will be made about the best location for them. The WWCC also speaks about both cubs undergoing specialized training, including acclimatization to their transport crates for the long trip to South Africa. In Feburary 2025, the WWCC newsletter talks about how the process was in its final stages, how the custom built crates for the cubs had arrived on site and how 12 months was the perfect age to start the rewilding journey due to that being the natural dispersing age.

I was told in on the 23rd of March that Darcie and Ezra would be flying to South Africa the next week. In the June 2025 WWCC newsletter, it’s confirmed that Darcie and Ezra have moved to the JDF Private Reserve. Below is the excerpt from the newsletter:
Following in Edie’s pawprints, Darcie and Ezra have also made the journey home, now residing at the JDF Private Reserve, managed by Cango Wildlife Ranch. Both have settled in beautifully, showing all the signs of healthy, confident cats. They’re enjoying a diet of local game meats and adapting quickly to their new environment, never too picky when it comes to food!

From the pictures provided in the update, both cats were also fitted with radio/satellite collars. There have been no updates posted on Instagram for Darcie and Ezra since they begun their rewilding adventure. From what I can see one the Cango Wildlife Ranch website, they appear to be closer to a zoo than what Edie has moved to. It advertises being able to get into the enclosure with the cheetah, and feed them. From their website:
As none of our cats are intended for release into the wild, the majority are hand-raised by our care givers for a multitude of reasons, and sometimes circumstantial. It can happen that first time mothers (especially in cheetah) neglect the cubs. Additionally, cheetahs in general, are especially vulnerable as babies. We monitor them very closely and if we notice a serious drop in weight, or pick up on any unusual symptoms/general illness then we pull the cubs immediately to encourage survival rates.

Furthermore, by hand-rearing cubs, they grow to be very calm and relaxed animals which helps for medical or husbandry management and additionally encourages a strong relationship between animals and curators which ensures a stress-free animal/environment.

The ranch also posted on the 16th of December 2024 about their own rewilding journey, with pieces of the blog below:
A Historic Milestone - The Release of Our First Cheetah
Xyla’s Journey: A Leap Into the Wild...

The cheetah, an icon of speed and grace, is a symbol of the fragility of our natural world. Among these majestic creatures, one remarkable individual has captured the hearts of conservationists and animal lovers alike: Xyla, the first cheetah from Cango Wildlife Ranch to be rewilded in collaboration with SanWild Sanctuary. Her story is one of hope, perseverance, and the vital role conservation efforts play in preserving endangered species.

The ranch also has a ‘Cheetahland’ (Which has a picture of a leopard, but we won’t talk about that) but there’s little additional information available on the website about what this actually is or the differences. I wasn’t able to find anything about the JDF Private Reserve where Darcie and Ezra were released to, on the ranch website or on google.

And that’s it, a very short update for Darcie and Ezra! If anyone else has anymore information I’d love to know :)

Some notes:
- I do wonder if the lack of updates, and the choice to see how they settled prior to making a decision about their long-term homes was due to their hand-raising and if they were unsure how well they would adapt going from more human care than Edie did to rewilding. That being said, when I visited the centre in March this year, they were both very wary of humans, so maybe this is a moot point
- I am very curious about the JDF Private Reserve and what their rewilding actually looks like day to day
- There seemed to be a lot of updates around the crates for this rewilding. I wonder if this is a lesson learnt from rewilding Edie, or just a point of difference for the socials for this round.
Click to expand...

It’s interesting you note the cubs’ wariness of humans despite being handraised. Orana Wildlife Park has handraised many litters; but one litter was orphaned at 11 weeks old (three weeks older than these cubs) and due to the cubs having started on solids, staff were more hands off with their rearing. The Cheetah cubs consequently grew up to be standoffish with humans and would stamp/spit when they approached the wire.

With regards to the comparative lack of updates, I’ve observed this trend across many zoos with regards to births. The first birth makes the headlines; but the second gets a fraction of the coverage.
 
I remember being initially a little surprised when I saw them - I knew they were the only juvenile cheetahs there, and I knew they’d been at least partially hand-raised, and they responded to us very defensively. It was a huge contrast to walking around the other side of the exhibit and seeing Blanca, who was incredibly happy to see us and rubbed up against the fence for some pets from the keeper.

Yeah you’re absolutely right there, hopefully at the six month mark or so we’ll get an update on how they’re going!
 
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