Release - female cheetah "Khanya"

Back in 2011, Shadow blessed us with her very first litter—four beautiful daughters: Yakira, Zoe, Zara, and Zena.

Yakira, who suffered leg injuries as a cub, had to be hand-raised by our Running Wild team, while her three sisters remained longer with their mother and were raised semi-wild under our care. One of these sisters, now known as Khanya, took a remarkable step in February 2017 when she was soft released onto a 1,000-hectare reserve to begin her rewilding journey.

Just months later, in November 2017, Khanya gave birth to two precious cubs—Bala and Mnandi. Mnandi was named in honor of her great-grandmother, Shadow’s own mother, who lived much of her life at Nambiti Game Reserve.

By May 2018, Bala and Mnandi, then around 6–7 months old, were permanently released with Khanya onto the 10,000-hectare Nambiti Reserve. It’s the very same place where their aunt Xanie, another of Shadow’s daughters, had been released just two months earlier.

Today, we celebrate not only Khanya’s new family but also Shadow’s incredible legacy. Shadow has now brought 17 cubs into the world—and already has two grandchildren thriving in the wild. We could not be prouder of her and of Khanya, her very first daughter raised here at Running Wild

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Many of the cheetahs raised and bred by us at Running Wild have successfully been reintroduced onto a variety of reserves across South Africa. These include well-known protected areas, and several privately managed reserves that offer safe, sustainable habitats for cheetahs to thrive. 

Each release site is carefully chosen based on prey availability, suitable habitat, and predator dynamics to ensure the highest chance of survival. Seeing our cheetahs adapt, hunt, and establish themselves in these wild spaces is the ultimate reward—proving that responsible breeding and rewilding efforts truly can strengthen wild populations.

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Many of the cheetahs we have reintroduced have gone on to reproduce in the wild, with their offspring now forming an essential part of the statistics that measure the success of our rewilding program. Each new generation represents not only a fantastic contribution to strengthening the wild cheetah population but also living proof that rewilding works when it is done responsibly and sustainably.

 

Names of cats and release sites listed below:

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Jack, Bingwa, Knightro, Mikka, Sky, Storm, Xanie, Zara, Zena, Zoe, Kenya, Max, Pegasus, Luca, Rocco

 

Marataba Private Game Reserve

Lalibela Private Game Reserve

Kwandwe Private Game Reserve

Lapalala Private Game Reserve

Askari Private Game Reserve

BuffaloKloof Game Reserve

Kwa Zulu Game Reserve

Nambiti Private Game Reserve​​​​​​​​

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We are currently in the process of identifying potential release sites for our cheetahs. Finding the right reserve is a complex task that requires careful consideration of several critical factors: the size of the reserve, the availability of adequate prey, and the presence of other apex predators that could jeopardize the cheetahs’ safety.

For cheetahs to co-exist with lions, leopards, or hyenas, predator densities must be kept as low as possible. High numbers of these species drastically reduce cheetah survival, as they are highly vulnerable in direct competition. Lions, in particular, are notorious for their zero tolerance of other cat species within their territories.

At Running Wild Conservation, our guiding principle is that reintroductions must only take place if they can be carried out sustainably and responsibly. Chasing release numbers for the sake of statistics, without ensuring a high chance of success, is neither ethical nor acceptable.

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Every release must be a step toward long-term conservation, not just a short-term milestone.

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Over the past decade, we have had the privilege of releasing not only cheetahs, but also a wide variety of other animals back into the wild. These include servals, caracals, genets, bushbabies, antelope, warthogs, meerkats, squirrels, raptors, and many species of birds. Each release represents a life restored to its rightful place in nature—a chance for these animals to live free, wild, and independent.

While we love and care deeply for every animal that passes through our sanctuary, our true mission is not to keep them in captivity but to honor their wildness.

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To love a species means respecting its freedom, and for us that means always striving to return them to their natural environment where they belong.