The Spirit of Namiri Plains

By Akil Halai

Namiri Plains is the closest thing to a perfect cheetah habitat. In fact, the Serengeti plains are ideal cheetah territory as well as the ideal cheetah breeding terrain. The Serengeti eco system is a great example of Darwin’s theory “the survival of the fittest”. These felidae’sneed to survive amongst each other in one of the biggest playgrounds of Africa.

During my last couple of visits to Namiri, I started learning more about the cheetahs around these beautiful and less explored “Namiri Plains”. I was obsessed to learn about their ancestry and movements around this area. With the help of the Serengeti Cheetah Research Project, I managed to get a few stories about the cheetahs within this area.

Amaretto is a cub from Amarula. Amarula had a litter of 3 cubs, Amaretto (female), Bailey (female) & Mr. Birch (male) in September 2006. After three years, in roughly December 2009, Amaretto had a litter of 4 very cute cubs herself.

She managed to raise all four of them to independence with her impressive skills. The litter consisted of two males (Ouzo & Sambuca) & two females (Sheridan & Tia Maria). By the end of February 2011 she led her cubs (sub adults by than) to liberation. The two females are completely solitary and are still seen around the NamiriPlains area. The two males formed a coalition and were last seen around Seronera – Mukoma area.

Amaretto had her second litter of three cubs in June 2012, but unfortunately lost one cub to lions in December 2012. She did eventually manage to raise two female cubs – Pimms & Brandy to independence. Both sisters had their first litters in September 2014. Brandy managed to raise one cub and Pimms successfully raised three. It was great to see Amaretto with two cubs. With her successful record, hopefully, the two young cubs will survive and extend the bloodline.

Come and see the cheetahs of Namiri Plains. Get in touch with your travel agent or make an enquiry with us.

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