When Walter L was at the Daktari Rehabilitation Center a year ago, he was regarded a hopeless case. In his native Switzerland he had been addicted to anything imaginable: from alcohol to numerous prescription drugs; from ecstasy to heroin to cocaine. He had been admitted into psychiatric clinics 64 times, several times as a result of suicide attempts. He also spent time in jail. "it was a miracle that I survived,” he recalls.

At Daktari which was founded in 1997 by Swiss Namibian psychologist Immo Ruegg, long term addicts from Europe are able to undergo therapy without the temptation of drugs or other disturbing influences, surrounded by nothing but nature. After every treatment in Switzerland failed, Walter was reluctantly admitted into Daktari.

When he finally touched down on this farm in the remote northern reaches of Namibia, after a 7-month detox in a Swiss clinic, he found himself sober for the first time in two decades. During his time as an addict he had not developed adequate social skills – he had a very low self-esteem, neglected any form of personal hygiene and had become slow and passive. This brought him into conflict with the other addicts in the Daktari program.

The only inhabitants of the farm to seek his company were the animals: Daktari is also home to an orphanage of wild animals, including 10 cheetahs, 50 horses and many dogs.

Samira, a fully grown female cheetah, was the first to befriend him. Samira, herself an outsider, almost died in her youth when her mother was killed by poachers and her siblings torn apart by their dogs. Despite her critical injuries, she survived: Ruth Ruegg, Immo's wife, hand reared her and nursed her back to life. She lost her hearing, became slower than the other cheetahs on the farm, and was never able to fall pregnant.

Friendship between the two outsiders developed into an incredibly strong bond, earning Walter the nickname "The Cheetah Man". He plays soccer with her and walks her on a leash; she visits him in his room and cuddles up to him; he defends her when the other cheetahs try to steal her food.

But in six months Walter will have to leave Samira behind to start a new life in his native Switzerland. This is the story of the healing effect they have exerted on each other.