Cheetah Breeding Project

The king cheetah was first spotted in Zimbabwe in 1926 where it was considered to be an entirely different animal to the standard cheetah. This elusive cat has only been spotted in the wild six times which raises questions over whether in fact any still remain. Although the king cheetah may look a little different from the other cheetahs that you see, in truth they are exactly the same animal, with the most notable difference between the two cats being their distinct coat pattern which features three stripes along its back.

The Hoedspruit Research and Cheetah Breeding Project have been instrumental in breeding these rare felines at their animal rehabilitation centre in Northern Mpumalanga. Their endangered Species section conducts unique research on endangered species such as the cheetah (including the king cheetah), African wild dogs and lion.

Tours of the Centre starts with an informative video presentation where interesting background information on the animals, the research being conducted and the progress of the project is presented.

An experienced guide will then accompany you on a tour of the Centre where the highlights will include the viewing of more than 60 hand-reared cheetahs, the vulture restaurant, wild dogs and the rare Barbary lion. A walk with Jabulani the elephant is also an optional extra. After the tour you can enjoy a light meal and refreshments in their tea garden or shop in the curio shop.

Conservation volunteers regularly flock to Hoedspruit and the Cheetah Project to help with the rehabilitation of these big cats.