Latest news with #Njozi
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Pretoria rallies for beloved Rietvlei cheetah as Njozi undergoes surgery
Rietvlei cheetah, Njozi, is in the specialised care of the wildlife clinic at the Faculty of Veterinary Science in Onderstepoort after showing signs of lameness in her right forelimb. Pretoria Rekord reports that the beloved and well-known five-year-old female cheetah is a resident of Rietvlei Nature Reserve. Residents raise funds for cheetah operation Pretoria residents' hearts opened wholeheartedly when, in a few days, the Friends of Rietvlei's appeal for R50 000 for her operation, hospitalisation and rehabilitation was answered. She was found and captured with the assistance of Jeanri Weideman, a game ranger from Rietvlei. Njozi wears a very high-frequency collar. Radiographs reveal previous injuries not healed correctly After she was found, she was darted and radiographed in the field by veterinary wildlife specialist, Prof Katja Koeppel. Chris van Blerk, faculty spokesperson, says radiographs revealed that she had previously fractured two bones in her right forelimb (the radius and ulna), which had healed in the wrong position (a malunion) and fused (sinostosis). 'This deformity limited the movement of her paw and likely caused abnormal stress on the limb. Sadly, this led to a new fracture just above the old injury site,' says Van Blerk. Cheetahs limbs carefully realigned during operation She went into the operating theatre on Tuesday. Small animal specialist surgeon Dr Adriaan Kitshoff and a team from the faculty's Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital performed the surgery. 'In theatre, we corrected both the previous malunion and the recent fracture by removing a wedge of bone and carefully realigning the limb,' says Kitshoff. The bones were then stabilised with two metal plates, and a small bone graft from her shoulder was used to help speed up healing. According to Koeppel, her bandage was changed on Wednesday. She will be managed and monitored by the team of wildlife veterinarians and students at the Faculty of Veterinary Science's wildlife clinic. Peter Ruddle, chairperson of the Friends of Rietvlei, a NPO supporting the reserve, says the 'public has been fantastic with their response'. He's glad that all went well with the operation and thanked the team at Onderstepoort. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Beloved Pretoria cheetah Njozi undergoes operation
Rietvlei cheetah, Njozi, is currently in the specialised care of the wildlife clinic at the Faculty of Veterinary Science in Onderstepoort, after showing signs of lameness in her right forelimb. The beloved and well-known five-year-old female cheetah is a resident of Rietvlei Nature Reserve. Pretoria residents' hearts opened wholeheartedly when, in a few days, the Friends of Rietvlei's appeal for R50 000 for her operation, hospitalisation and rehabilitation was answered. She was found and captured with the assistance of Jeanri Weideman, a game ranger from Rietvlei. Njozi wears a very high-frequency collar. After she was found, she was darted and radiographed in the field by veterinary wildlife specialist, Prof Katja Koeppel. Chris van Blerk, faculty spokesperson, said radiographs revealed that she had previously fractured two bones in her right forelimb (the radius and ulna), which had healed in the wrong position (a malunion) and fused (sinostosis). 'This deformity limited the movement of her paw and likely caused abnormal stress on the limb. Sadly, this led to a new fracture just above the old injury site,' said Van Blerk. She went into the operating theatre on July 22. Small animal specialist surgeon, Dr Adriaan Kitshoff and a team from the faculty's Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (OVAH), performed the surgery. 'In theatre, we corrected both the previous malunion and the recent fracture by removing a wedge of bone and carefully realigning the limb,' said Kitshoff. The bones were then stabilised with two metal plates, and a small bone graft from her shoulder was used to help speed up healing. According to Prof Koeppel, her bandage was changed on July 23. She will be managed and monitored by the team of wildlife veterinarians and students at the Faculty of Veterinary Science's wildlife clinic. Peter Ruddle, chairperson of the Friends of Rietvlei, a NPO supporting the reserve, said the 'public has been fantastic with their response'. He pointed out that they are very glad that all went well with the operation and thanked the team at Onderstepoort. ALSO READ: Rietvlei cheetah found safely Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
03-06-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Watch: Escaped Rietvlei cheetah found and captured
Njozi, the female cheetah that escaped from Rietvlei Nature Reserve earlier this week, has been safely captured. This is according to Obakeng Ramabodu, MMC for Environment and Agriculture Management. Pretoria Rekord reports that Njozi was located today after she mysteriously escaped yesterday. Ramabodu confirmed the big cat was found in the Bapsfontein area, thanks to a tracking device fitted on her. 'The team, along with veterinarians, used the tracker to locate Njozi. She is safely recovered without incident,' he said. He assured the public that Njozi was not harmed during her escape and that she did not cause any injuries or fatalities to the public. Ramabodu also revealed that the cheetah most likely escaped through a section of the reserve's perimeter fence that had been vandalised. 'We believe the escape was made possible due to damage to the fence,' he said, confirming that vandalism has compromised the reserve's security. 'We are prioritising repairs to the damaged fencing and strengthening safety measures to prevent future escapes. The safety of both wildlife and the surrounding community is non-negotiable,' he said. Ramabodu added that the department will immediately begin implementing enhanced safety measures to prevent further animal escapes from Rietvlei Nature Reserve. 'We must act swiftly to prevent future incidents, particularly involving the cheetah, which is often targeted. Our greatest concern is the safety of both the animal and the public. We cannot risk losing Njozi to injury, nor can we allow the possibility of her harming someone,' he said. Njozi was relocated to Rietvlei from the Western Cape and has a history of escaping. Yesterday, Njozi escaped from the reserve. Njozi was spotted on the R50 Delmas Road in the area of Bapsfontein, a farming town in Ekurhuleni. Derek van der Merwe from the Endangered Wildlife Trust said following an extensive search yesterday, Njozi was located in Bapsfontein but couldn't be darted as she ran into dense bushes, and it got dark, so the search was called off. He added that he believed that Njozi escaped as she was on the search for a male companion. 'If we can bring her a male cheetah, she wouldn't try to run or escape anymore. I am certain she will stay in the reserve with her companion.' This is not her first stint at escaping. In 2021, she slipped out of the reserve, and after an extensive search by officials and wildlife conservationists, Njozi managed to return on her own. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
