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Who is the HESC |
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 How it all began
In 1950 Lente Roode’s father, Willie Schürmann, bought a
2000-hectare farm in the Hoedspruit district in the Northern Province of
South Africa which today forms part of the Kapama Private Game Reserve
(situated close to to the Kruger National Park in South Africa).
Lente’s father generated income by farming sheep and cattle. Lions,
leopards and cheetah were seen as a dire threat to livestock and were
shot on sight as a result.
It was during her childhood that Lente developed a love for
animals, the African bushveld, and for the farm which she visited at
every opportunity. This was the beginning of a life-long passion for
conservation of the cheetah, and of all animal species.
As a child of six, Lente was given an orphaned cheetah cub
after a neighbouring farmer shot the mother. They called her “Sebeka”
and she soon became part of the Schürmann household. Together, Lente and
her mother (a nurse) lovingly cared for the animal. Lente and her
cheetah were inseparable.
Establishing the Hoedspruit Cheetah Project
After completing her studies in education, Lente married
Johann Roode in 1970.
In 1985, Johann and Lente bought their first farm on the
border of her family’s land in Hoedspruit. Lente then inherited her
father’s farm. They acquired more land by buying adjoining properties
and the first venture that they undertook was to ranch with a herd of
Bonsmara cattle. Typical of Johann this was done with thorough attention
to detail. The battle with the predators continued until it became clear
that although they appeared to be winning it was likely to continue ad
infinitum. At the same time Lente’s longing to be involved on the farm
and her need to work with animals developed. The decision to change to
game farming became inevitable. Further land was acquired and Kapama
Game Reserve, 12 500 ha in extent, came into being.
As cheetahs were listed as endangered in the Red Data Book of
the Mammals of South Africa, at that time the idea to establish a
cheetah breeding project on Kapama developed. This facility would be
tasked with breeding the species for possible reintroduction into the
wild, as well as providing research opportunities to scientists in
zoological and veterinary fields. It would also ultimately serve as an
educational centre.
It was at this stage that Lente contacted Des Varaday (a
well-known cheetah breeder whose facility was located near Middelburg in
Mpumalanga Province) in the hope of acquiring a few cheetah. Lente had
known Des from childhood when he used her cheetah Sebeka in his book
entitled “Gara Yaka”, and as the subject matter for other detailed
illustrations.
Fate is an amazing thing… Des enquired of Lente if it would
be possible for her to take custody of all thirty-five of his cheetahs.
His motivation was that he was getting too old to look after them, and
that he needed a suitable owner to take responsibility for them.
Lente agreed. The then Department of Nature Conservation of
the Transvaal facilitated the transfer of the animals from Varaday, in
order for Lente Roode to continue the breeding programme on Kapama Game
Reserve.
With the help and guidance of Professor David Meltzer of the
Onderstepoort Faculty of Veterinary Science (at the University of
Pretoria) and Des Varaday himself, they planned and developed the
infrastructure of the Centre and built the Hoedspruit Cheetah Project (H.C.P)
within a year.
It took another year for the animals to settle properly into
their new environment before the Hoedspruit Cheetah Project opened its
doors to the public in 1990. Tourism, together with sales from the curio
shop, helped to generate some of the income needed to run the Project on
a day to day basis.
The HCP becomes HESC
Contact was then made with the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria
to cooperate in the breeding of other species at Hoedspruit. As a
result, African wild cats as well as ground hornbills and bald ibises
were transferred to the H.C.P in 1991 and 1995. African wild dogs
(captured as “problem animals” by conservation authorities and brought
to the HCP in May 1991) were also included in the breeding programme.
In 1995, the Centre started a black-footed cat breeding
programme when landowners that raised orphaned kittens contacted the HCP
to take care of the animals.
During the first half of the 1990s, blue crane chicks which
had been abandoned after lands were cultivated were brought to the
Centre by concerned farmers. The birds were also included in the
breeding programme.
The inclusion of other species into the Centre’s breeding
programme necessitated the name change from the H.C.P to the Hoedspruit
Endangered Species Centre (H.E.S.C).
Establishing a veterinary Facility
The need for extensive veterinary support to treat animals at
the H.E.S.C, as well as injured animals that were brought to the Centre
for treatment, led to the establishment of a veterinary clinic with an
animal hospital (housing recuperation and quarantine facilities) in
1995.
Professor David Meltzer mentored the different veterinary
surgeons who have been involved at the Centre, until he eventually took
permanent position as chief veterinarian and manager in 1995.
Today
The Centre is a non−profitable organization ploughing all
funds back into nature conservation in order to help ensure the
continued survival of all endangered animal species. Today the Centre
has established itself as one of the leaders in the breeding and
research of endangered species. Besides this the Centre also provides a
safe haven for orphaned and sick animals and also offers an education
centre where the public and our younger generations can learn about
endangered species by observing them at close range.
The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre works closely
together with advisory committees of the Pretoria Zoo and the University
of Pretoria.
Vision, mission and objectives
Vision
Ensuring our tomorrow by fostering and communicating the belief that the
“Power of One is Boundless”. One person can make a difference!
Mission
The conservation of rare, vulnerable or endangered animals.
Objectives
• The breeding of endangered, vulnerable or rare animal species (with a
focus on ensuring that breeding programmes are structured in such a
manner to ensure the genetic biodiversity of the species in the
custodianship of the Centre)
• The education of learners, students and the general public in
conservation and conservation activities
• The release and establishment of captive-bred cheetahs back into the
wild (prospective destinations must exhibit sound environmental and
conservation management policies)
• The promotion of scientific research and development in the wildlife
field
• The generation of funds to assist in the operational costs of the
Centre (which makes no profit from its operation).
• The treatment and rehabilitation of wild animals that are brought to
the Centre.
• The provision of a safe alternative for damage-causing animals on
commercial farms, with a view to ultimately introducing them into
conservation areas that can accommodate such animals into their
management policies.
Source: official web of
HESC (2010)
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