The Rietvlei Nature Reserve is situated 18 km from the centre of Pretoria, South Africa, and 38 km from the OR Tambo International Airport. The 3 800 ha of endangered Bankenveld grassland includes open plains and undulating hills. The extensive vlei areas and tributary streams support the scenic splendour of the azure blue Rietvlei Dam.
Storks have large and heavy bills. Their nests are also very large and used year after year. They are mute, but clack their bills as a means of communication, especially at or near the nest. They eat insects, worms, fish, and small mammals. They are related to egrets, herons, ibises, and spoonbills, but not to flamingos.
The cheetah has a slender, long-legged body with blunt, semi-retractable claws. Its coat is tan with about 2,000 small, round, black spots, and the fur is coarse and short. The cheetah has a small head with high-set eyes. Black “tear marks”, which run from the corner of its eyes down the sides of the nose to its mouth, keep the sun out of its eyes and aid in hunting.
