Five Cheetahs Collared in Large-Scale Operation in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
Excerpt, Photography & Blog Post Credited to Megan Whittington – Wildlife ACT – Focused Conservation
“Every collar we fit gives our teams and partners a clearer picture of how these Cheetah are using the landscape and how the population is changing over time. That long-term understanding is what allows us to plan effectively for this population’s future, and to ensure it continues to play its part in the survival of the species across South Africa,” said Chris du Toit, Wild Dog and Cheetah Conservation Programme Manager at Wildlife ACT.
In late July 2026, Wildlife ACT and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, with support from Forever Wild Foundation, carried out a large-scale Cheetah collaring operation in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, KwaZulu-Natal. Over the course of the operation, five collars were successfully fitted, three of them on individuals collared for the first time, marking a significant step forward in the long-term monitoring of one of the province’s most important Cheetah populations. This operation builds on efforts begun at the end of 2025, bringing the total collars deployed since then to eight.
The eight-day operation drew on multiple ground teams working alongside drone support, with additional aerial coverage provided by a fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter, supplied by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. In total, the drone alone, provided by WildSky Foundation, completed 94 flights and logged more than 30 hours of flight time in support of the operation, reflecting the scale and intensity of effort required to locate and safely collar Cheetah across the historic Protected Area’s dense and varied terrain.
Darting and veterinary oversight were provided by Rowan Leeming and Jennifer Lawrence of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, together with Liam Best of African Wildlife Vets, with collars supplied by Forever Wild Foundation and with additional support from Ford Wildlife Foundation.
Why Collar Priority Species
Collaring is central to effective species management, particularly for vulnerable and intensively managed species like Cheetah. With fewer than 7,500 Cheetah estimated to remain in the wild, and fewer than 1,000 in South Africa, careful management at a protected area and regional scale is essential to avoid the risks of genetic bottlenecking.
The collars fitted during this operation were designed by Wildlife ACT Innovations and purpose-built for the demands of African conservation landscapes. Each unit combines LoRaWAN and VHF components, allowing for elevated monitoring within the Protected Area. The LoRaWAN function records GPS points at set intervals for effective remote monitoring, while the VHF function enables Wildlife ACT monitoring teams to locate collared individuals on the ground using directional telemetry, which is essential in dense thickets or rugged terrain where visual confirmation is not always possible.
This dual approach ensures that monitoring is both broad and detailed, supporting the day-to-day work of Wildlife ACT’s monitoring teams on Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, while also feeding into Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s long-term conservation planning and metapopulation support on a regional and national scale.
A Collaborative Operation
Conservation work of this scale cannot succeed in isolation. The success of this operation rested on close collaboration and coordination between Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Wildlife ACT, African Wildlife Vets, Forever Wild Foundation, WildSky Foundation, and Ford Wildlife Foundation, each bringing different resources and expertise to a shared goal. It is this kind of coordinated effort between conservation partners that ultimately determines whether a population like this one can be protected effectively over the long term.
“This project demonstrated what can be achieved when conservation partners work together towards a common goal. The close coordination between Wildlife ACT, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the veterinary team and experienced drone operators played a vital role in the success of the collaring operation, with the welfare of every cheetah remaining the highest priority throughout. We look forward to continuing to support innovative conservation initiatives that strengthen monitoring efforts and help secure the future of this iconic species,” Andrew Bone, Forever Wild Foundation.