In the early hours of the morning on Friday, 5 October a storm over the mountains caused a dam on the Eikendal upslope to rupture its wall - sending a deluge of mud, vines and water through the enclosures. The dog enclosures were flattened, but luckily all seven of the breeding and retired dogs housed there were found alive scattered over Eikendal and without injury. They are currently being held in private kennels off-site.
There was also extensive damage to the cub raising facility and buildings used to house the volunteers. A goat drowned, but the cheetah cubs were saved and emergency evacuated to the main facility at Paardevlei - some twenty minutes' drive away. Here they are being quarantined in a boardroom. The volunteers, having to make do with the few items they salvaged, are sleeping in offices.
"Although insurance will cover part of the disaster, they do not cover the very expensive clean up or the costly private kennels where we currently have the dogs while insurance agents, assessors and structural engineers get to grips with the disaster and estimate how much damage has been done," says Dawn Glover from Cheetah Outreach. "In addition to the emotional stress, the disaster is also resulting in immediate financial strain to the Cheetah Outreach Trust so any donations at this time would be greatly appreciated."
Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so by depositing funds directly into the Cheetah Outreach bank account: First National Bank, Adderley Street, Cape Town; Branch Code: 201409; Account Number: 62030813241; Account Name: CCF - Cheetah Outreach Trust
Alternatively, online donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/cheetahoutreach-whf.
