Today we drove from Spitzkoppe to a Cheetah sanctuary near Etosha... so we are not yet in the game park but we did get to pat and play with some Cheetah’s!
On the way to our campsite at the Otjitotongwe Cheetah Sanctuary we stopped at Gilbegen station where some Himba people live. The Himba people live here on land which was given to them by the station owner. They still live quite traditionally in mud huts doing everything by hand but they are supported by the station owners if required, eg. for medical care. The Himba women cover themselves in ochre which gives them an orange appearance. The ochre protects their skin from the elements and insects. The females do not bathe or wash their hair, and their young girls also wear necklaces around their necks until they are “able” to have children. We were able to buy some hand made jewellery from them.
The Cheetah sanctuary is actually a cattle property which once had a big problem with wild cheetahs picking off its stock. It now has 3 “pet” cheetahs which were cubs orphaned in the Cheetah control process but they also have about 17 “wild” cheetahs in another paddock. We were fortunate to play with the 3 pet Cheetahs and then were taken on a safari drive to see the wild cats out and about. They also feed these Cheetahs as there is not a lot of other food available but we were assured that if there was a stray warthog or other animal that wandered into the enclosure it would not last very long... ie. they are still wild.
All in all another great day in Africa!!
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