Cheetah Update: Elsie

From your last update on Elsie, we’d like to tell you a bit more about her and what she has been doing over the past six-month period.

As you know, Elsie came to CCF in October 2004 and we identified her as one of the cheetahs that was radio-collared by CCF in 1998 when she had three 14-month-old cubs!

At 13, Elsie is CCF's oldest cheetah, but is still a very lively and happy cat. True to her instinct, she always hides in the bushes until the vehicle is close at feeding times and then jumps at it. In the past few months she has been playing games with the keepers...not coming to feed for several days until all at CCF are sick with worry, then jumping out at the vehicle as usual the next day as if nothing has happened. CCF staff are now convinced that Elsie is taking “cat-naps” at feeding times and fails to wake up at feeding times as there seems to be nothing wrong with her health…she might even sneakily be stealing the other cats’ food when she awakens from her midday snooze.