Cheetah Update: Misty

From your last update on Misty, 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, Misty came to CCF in November 2002 and now lives in the 200 acre Bellebeno cheetah pen with 10 other females.

She has befriended the two females, Nina and Solo and the 3 of them are always together.
The three of them always waits at the gate when the keepers want to come into the enclosure to feed, they have to “move” the girls away from the gate. Usually luring them with to one side, as the truck drives in. Once in, the CCF staff drive the truck down the road of the 200 acre enclosure, with the cats running behind. This gives them daily exercise before getting their food. Misty usually awaits the vehicle at the gate at feeding time with Nina and Solo, but is not the fastest runner when all the cats chase after the vehicle for food and a little exercise. Misty has very good manners and always waits until all the other cats have been fed before coming to collect her meat, thereby avoiding confrontation and not having to protect her meal from other sneaky cats.

Misty tipped the scales at 40 kilograms; this is above average for a Namibian female cheetah (average is 36 kilograms). During her physical, she also had all the burrs combed out and CCF volunteer and visiting dentist, Dr. Larry Friedman, who assisted with the workups, confirmed that she had severe wear on her lower incisors and slight wear on her upper incisors. He smoothed all her canine tips.