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The Rewilding of a Bank Refugee
Stewart Wachs
“I fell in love with Buhle the day we met. Our attachment deepened as I walked her for many hours daily starting at five months of age. We played hide and seek, ran and chased each other, and as she grew and grew we roamed all 37 sq. km of the reserve. These animals are not pets,” Yuko insists. “They will all one day be released. My job is not only to look after them but to make sure they can survive in the wild. I was so excited when Buhle caught her first scrub hare at ten months old. Next came small antelopes: steenbok and baby duiker. It’s a cruel feeling you get, watching her make a kill, especially when she still didn’t know how. The prey screamed until they died from exhaustion. But I had to accept that that’s what happens in the wild. Buhle started making a quick kill the second year. I can’t teach her how to hunt, but my most important role is to give her many opportunities to follow her natural instincts. Hunting with cheetahs and watching them kill so often, I think about how precious life is. And how spoiled, lazy and greedy we humans can be."
To read entire article, download as PDF file (452KB)
Stewart Wachs is KJ Associate Editor & Social Media Meister, and chief editor of this special issue.
Jottings
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