News

Visitors to SANParks' Marakele National Park are in for a treat as “spotting” cheetah has become the norm lately. The 70 000 hectares Park is home to predators amongst other animals and the regular sighting of cheetah has added much more to visitors’ experience.

In September this year, a fire swept through more than half the Park. It took firefighters 12 days to extinguish the fire. According to Park Manager at Marakele, Mphadeni Nthangeni, “the fire was a huge blow for us because it took days to put it out. On the other hand fire as a management tool enhances biodiversity by reducing bush encroachment and enabling other plant species, like the protea, to blossom.

The Park consists of bushveld and after the fire it was more open and game viewing became easier. Antelopes gathered near the unburnt areas to eat and naturally the predators followed. Visitors to the Park have said that the cheetah are usually spotted in the western side of the Park and spotting them has added value to this small Park.

“We are looking forward to the summer rains in December, and hope the Park will start to regrow in the areas that were hit by the fire. Until then we hope to see more of these beautiful animals roaming around the Park,” concluded Nthangeni.

This news could not have come at a better time since annually on 4 December we celebrate International Cheetah Day which serves as a reminder that the cheetah, like all wildlife, is a treasure of the planet and its survival depends on human conservation action.

Marakele National Park is a small national park, yet it hosts the Big 5 and is situated about 12km outside of Thabazimbi, Limpopo.

For bookings please call (014) 777-6929 or visit https://www.sanparks.org/bookings/.

Photo credit: Dr Andre Uys.

Issued By

SANParks Northern Region

Media Enquiries

Divhani Maremba
Northern Region Communications Manager
Tel: (012) 426 5304, Cell: 074 588 5789
Email: [email protected]