Visitors to the Greater Kruger can now turn their cheetah sightings into valuable conservation data as part of the 2026/27 Greater Kruger Cheetah Photographic Census.
The initiative, led by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) in collaboration with SANParks, is calling on tourists, guides, staff and members of the public to submit photographs of cheetahs spotted across the landscape between September 1, 2026, and August 31, 2027.
Each cheetah has a distinctive coat pattern, allowing researchers to identify individual animals from photographs and use repeated sightings to track their movements and survival.
The previous census in 2021/22 received 196 submissions, researchers identified 86 individual cheetahs and estimated a population of approximately 116 animals in Kruger National Park.
The new census aims to provide a clearer picture of the population across the wider Greater Kruger landscape, including where cheetahs are found, how they move between conservation areas and what threats they face.
Visitors who spot a cheetah are encouraged to photograph it from a safe and respectful distance, ideally capturing its left and right sides. Submissions should include the date, approximate location and number of cheetahs seen. Photographs can be submitted on EWT’s website.
