Lucky, Nam’s latest TV celeb

LUCKY the three-legged cheetah and her handler and saviour Marlice van Vuuren of N/a’an ku se wildlife sanctuary are Namibia’s latest television stars following the launch of a TV advertisement for Volkswagen’s new Golf.

Volkswagen wanted the advertisement to portray the pure joy of driving, and their advertising agency, Ogilvy Cape Town, wanted to show an animal enjoying the ride. Luckily for them, they heard the story of Lucky and she fit the bill perfectly.Nine-month-old Lucky came to N/a’an ku se at the beginning of this year when a farmer called the wildlife sanctuary after catching two cheetah cubs. The male cub had been caught in a box trap while the female had been caught using a lethal steel-jaw trap which damaged the ligaments in one of her hind legs. Her leg was so badly injured that it had to be amputated.Although Lucky has adapted well to living with three legs, her chances of survival in the wild are slim and she will have to live at N/a’an ku se for the rest of her life.The advertisement was filmed in March by New York-based documentary director Henry-Alex Rubin. It stars Lucky, Marlice van Vuuren and a few baboons and wild dogs that have also found shelter at N/a’an ku se. Shooting the advertisement was not easy, as it took lots of patience to get Lucky used to the car. First she was put into an enclosure close to the house and then a car was parked in it so that she could become familiar with this strange new object. Lucky destroyed the seat of the first car and the window of another, but eventually she got used to the car and even started sleeping in it. That is when Van Vuuren knew that Lucky was ready and shooting could start. The filming took four days but eventually it was in the bag when Lucky stuck her head out of the window while Van Vuuren was driving. The advertisement ends with Lucky sticking her head out of the window enjoying the wind like a dog, while Van Vuuren says: ‘You know, just because she can’t run, doesn’t mean she’s not a cheetah.’Van Vuuren, a member of the Van der Merwe family of the more famous Harnas wildlife sanctuary, started N/a’an ku on a farm about 45 km outside of Windhoek.Two years ago, the N/a’an ku se Lodge was opened. The lodge raises funds for the wildlife sanctuary and provides jobs and education to members of the marginalised San community.The wildlife sanctuary rehabilitates abandoned and injured wild animals who are cared for until they can be reintroduced into the wild.To date 12 wild cats have been released. Animals that cannot be rehabilitated and released find a permanent home at N/a’an ku se. The Van Vuurens have also started a carnivore research project and a school for the San children at the lodge. In 2003 Marlice and her husband, Dr Rudi van Vuuren, also started the Lifeline Clinic for the San community of Epukiro with the help of Jan Verburg and Chris Heunis. If you haven’t seen Lucky’s television advertisement on DStv, there is a video clip of it on YouTube which has proved to be very popular.