Cheetah Updates - July 2006

BLONDI

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Blondi! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

She continues to exercise regularly for visitors by running after her lure system. She is the friendliest and most comfortable around people; when we have big groups of people, up to forty or so, we can bring her closest to them for the best photographs.

From mid-May through mid-August, Blondi has been participating in a groundbreaking study on cheetah reproduction conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. CCF staff and volunteers have been tracking Blondi’s estrus cycle through fecal collection and behavioral observation in order to better understand the reproductive biology in cheetahs of different ages. Blondi is now six years old and considered in the prime of her life.

The 11 CCF cheetahs that are a part of this groundbreaking study were injected with a series of two hormones 84 hours apart to facilitate follicle growth and then to induce egg formation on the follicles.

Since Blondi is so friendly and comfortable around people, she was the first of her pen mates (Sandy, Dusty, and Leia) to be injected and operated on. Everything went smoothly: the two injections and then the anesthesia. After she was put under anesthesia, the team used ultrasound to see her reproductive organs and then extracted her eggs, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

Her collection was successful and her eggs were in very good condition. Her eggs will be fertilized in our lab with sperm from Cruise, our most dominant male. The team is now tracking the development of the embryos in an incubator and not in the female cheetahs. This process is called in vitro fertilization (IVF).

This important study is helping develop methods of impregnating the females and thus conserving their invaluable genes. If successful, in the future, it will not only assist the non-reproductive captive cheetahs in the world, but will be available to assist in maintaining the small, fragmented cheetah populations that are in great need of genetic variation. Although saving habitat is the ultimate goal in saving the species, understanding all aspects of the cheetah’s biology and physiology is one of the very important pieces in saving the cheetah for future generations.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Blondi.


DUSTY

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Dusty! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Dusty is still exercised on her lure system for visitors with her pen mates Blondi, Sandy, and Leia. Dusty is the best runner out of the group, running the farthest distance and catching the rag the most often.

Dusty is also the most picky and finicky when it comes to food. When we collect fecal samples, we need to know which cat it belongs to. In order to be certain which cat is responsible for which fecal sample, we put a “marker,” a grain product that cheetahs cannot digest, in a piece of meat and feed it to them. The marker we use for Dusty was split peas, but she decided she doesn’t like it so we had to switch to lentils. Dusty also will only eat donkey meat; when we have giraffe, zebra or kudu that we buy from local game farmers, she turns up her nose at her dish.

From mid-May through mid-August, Dusty has been participating in a groundbreaking study on cheetah reproduction conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. CCF staff and volunteers have been tracking Dusty’s estrus cycle through fecal collection and behavioral observation in order to better understand the reproductive biology in cheetahs of different ages. Dusty is now six years old and considered in the prime of her life. The 11 CCF cheetahs that are a part of this ground breaking study were injected with a series of two hormones 84 hours apart to facilitate follicle growth and then to induce egg formation on the follicles.

Dusty’s first injection was easy, as she was not used to being lured into a squeeze cage. Her second injection was harder, but still manageable.

In order to aspirate her eggs, we needed to anesthetize her. This was a tremendous effort. Eventually, after numerous attempts and “plans” failed, we ended up bringing our goatherd next to the cheetah pens so that we could dart her.

After she was put under anesthesia, the team used ultrasound to see her reproductive organs and then extracted the female’s egg, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

After anesthesia, the team used ultrasound to see her reproductive organs and then extracted the female’s egg, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

Her operation was successful and her eggs in good condition. Her eggs will be fertilized in our lab with sperm from Cruise, our most dominant male. If the process is successful, the team will track the development of the embryos in an incubator and not in the female cheetahs.

This important study is helping develop methods of impregnating the females and thus conserving their invaluable genes. If successful, in the future, it will not only assist the non-reproductive captive cheetahs in the world, but will be available to assist in maintaining the small, fragmented cheetah populations that are in great need of genetic variation. Although saving habitat is the ultimate goal in saving the species, understanding all aspects of the cheetah’s biology and physiology is one of the very important pieces in saving the cheetah for future generations.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Dusty.

SANDY

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Sandy! We’d like to fill you in some of these exciting developments.

Sandy continues to exercise regularly for visitors. She is the fastest runner out of her pen mates Blondi, Dusty, and Leia. In March, we moved our three cubs up near the clinic for visitors to see; that meant that part of the big girls’ pen was sectioned off. Sandy hisses and spits at the cubs who have taken part of her enclosure. She can be seen sitting next to their adjacent fence staring at the intruders.

From mid-May through mid-August, Sandy has been participating in a groundbreaking study on cheetah reproduction conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. CCF staff and volunteers have been tracking Sandy’s estrus cycle through fecal collection and behavioral observation in order to better understand the reproductive biology in cheetahs of different ages. Sandy is now six years old and considered in the prime of her life.

The 11 CCF cheetahs that are a part of this ground breaking study were injected with a series of two hormones 84 hours apart to facilitate follicle growth and then to induce egg formation on the follicles.

She was then put under anesthesia and the team used ultrasound to see her reproductive organs and then extracted her eggs, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

Her collection was successful and her eggs were in very good condition. Her eggs will be fertilized in our lab with sperm from Cruise, our most dominant male. The team is now tracking the development of the embryos in an incubator and not in the female cheetahs. This process is called in vitro fertilization (IVF).

This important study is helping develop methods of impregnating the females and thus conserving their invaluable genes. If successful, in the future, it will not only assist the non-reproductive captive cheetahs in the world, but will be available to assist in maintaining the small, fragmented cheetah populations that are in great need of genetic variation. Although saving habitat is the ultimate goal in saving the species, understanding all aspects of the cheetah’s biology and physiology is one of the very important pieces in saving the cheetah for future generations.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Sandy.


LEIA

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Leia! We’d like to fill you in on the most exciting of these developments.

She continues to exercise regularly for visitors. Despite her age, she has become one of the more consistent runners of the group. She will wait under a bush, lying so low that we almost can’t see her. Then, as the rag speeds by, she jumps out and uses the full ability of her acceleration to catch up to the rag.

From mid-May through mid-August, Shadow has been participating in a groundbreaking study on cheetah reproduction conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. . CCF staff and volunteers have been tracking Leia’s estrus cycle through fecal collection and behavioral observation in order to better understand the reproductive biology in cheetahs of different ages. Leia is an especially important candidate due to her age, now ten years old. The 11 CCF cheetahs that are a part of this ground breaking study were injected with a series of two hormones 84 hours apart to facilitate follicle growth and then to induce egg formation on the follicles. She was then put under anesthesia and the team used ultrasound to see her reproductive organs and then extracted her eggs, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

Her collection was successful and her eggs were in very good condition. Her eggs will be fertilized in our lab with sperm from Cruise, our most dominant male. The team is now tracking the development of the embryos in an incubator and not in the female cheetahs. This process is called in vitro fertilization (IVF). If this process turns out to be successful, it will do wonders for captive breeding of cheetahs.

This important study is helping develop methods of impregnating the females and thus conserving their invaluable genes. If successful, in the future, it will not only assist the non-reproductive captive cheetahs in the world, but will be available to assist in maintaining the small, fragmented cheetah populations that are in great need of genetic variation. Although saving habitat is the ultimate goal in saving the species, understanding all aspects of the cheetah’s biology and physiology is one of the very important pieces in saving the cheetah for future generations.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Leia.

SHADOW

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Shadow! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.
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From mid-May through mid-August, Shadow has been participating in a groundbreaking study on cheetah reproduction conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. CCF staff and volunteers have been tracking Shadow’s estrus cycle through fecal collection and behavioral observation in order to better understand the reproductive biology in cheetahs of different ages. The 11 CCF cheetahs that are a part of this ground breaking study were injected with a series of two hormones 84 hours apart to facilitate follicle growth and then to induce egg formation on the follicles. She was then put under anesthesia and the team used ultrasound to see her reproductive organs and then extracted her eggs, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

Despite Shadow’s eight years of age, she had the best quality eggs out of the 11 CCF cheetahs involved in this study. They were fertilized in our lab with sperm from Cruise, our most dominant male. The team is now tracking the development of the embryos in an incubator and not in the female cheetahs. This process is called in vitro fertilization (IVF). If this process turns out to be successful, it will do wonders for captive breeding of cheetahs.

This important study is helping develop methods of impregnating the females and thus conserving their invaluable genes. If successful, in the future, it will not only assist the non-reproductive captive cheetahs in the world, but will be available to assist in maintaining the small, fragmented cheetah populations that are in great need of genetic variation. Although saving habitat is the ultimate goal in saving the species, understanding all aspects of the cheetah’s biology and physiology is one of the very important pieces in saving the cheetah for future generations.

During the three months of this study, Shadow has been sharing a smaller enclosure with two other solitary cheetahs. The enclosure is small enough so that we can find fecal samples every day and identify which cat it is from. We can identify Shadow’s fecal sample because we feed her meat into which we have stuffed rice. Shadow cannot digest the rice and it comes out whole in her feces. Although Shadow should not be the most dominant of the three cats that she is in with, she usually defecates on the highest spot in the enclosure, something usually reserved for the most dominant cat. We were able to weigh her when she underwent her procedure and she weighed in at 34 kilograms, up from only 29 kilograms six months ago. She seems to be getting bolder and more comfortable not only with us, but with other cats as well.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Shadow.

ELSIE

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Elsie! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

From mid-May through mid-August, Elsie has been participating in a groundbreaking study on cheetah reproduction conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. CCF staff and volunteers have been tracking Elsie’s estrus cycle through fecal collection and behavioral observation in order to better understand the reproductive biology in cheetahs of different ages. The 11 CCF cheetahs that are a part of this ground breaking study were injected with a series of two hormones 84 hours apart to facilitate follicle growth and then to induce egg formation on the follicles. She handled the injections very well. Then she was then put under anesthesia and the team used ultrasound to see her reproductive organs and then extracted her eggs, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

Because of her age (16 years), we did not expect many healthy eggs from her; in fact, she didn’t produce any eggs at all despite the hormones. However, she was still a valued participant because of her age. Not much is known about cheetahs her age so this was a learning experience for everyone. While under anesthesia, we were able to check her thoroughly and saw that despite missing many teeth, the ones she has are very healthy and strong.

This important study is helping develop methods of impregnating the females and thus conserving their invaluable genes. If successful, in the future, it will not only assist the non-reproductive captive cheetahs in the world, but will be available to assist in maintaining the small, fragmented cheetah populations that are in great need of genetic variation. Although saving habitat is the ultimate goal in saving the species, understanding all aspects of the cheetah’s biology and physiology is one of the very important pieces in saving the cheetah for future generations.

During the three months of this study, Elsie has been sharing a smaller enclosure with two other solitary cheetahs, so that we can find fecal samples every day and identify whether or not it belongs to Elsie. She has shown that she can stand her own against the two younger cats. She yelps, almost dog-like, during mealtimes. Sometimes when we call her, she doesn’t know where we are because of the poor vision due to the cataracts. She looks around, knowing that we are calling her, but is not able to find us. Eventually, she locates us and grabs her food aggressively when we toss it to her. She is showing new life and spirit, which is great to see since she is a favorite of many of the staff.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Elsie.

SAMANTHA

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Samantha! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

From mid-May through mid-August, Samantha has been participating in a groundbreaking study on cheetah reproduction conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. CCF staff and volunteers have been tracking Samantha’s estrus cycle through fecal collection and behavioral observation in order to better understand the reproductive biology in cheetahs of different ages. At almost three years of age, Samantha was in the “young group,” the group that would just be starting to have litters of their own in the wild and that would have the best quality eggs. The 11 CCF cheetahs that are a part of this ground breaking study were injected with a series of two hormones 84 hours apart to facilitate follicle growth and then to induce egg formation on the follicles.

She was then put under anesthesia. The team then used ultrasound to see the reproductive organs of the females and then extracted her eggs, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

Her collection was successful and her eggs were in very good condition. Her eggs will be fertilized in our lab with sperm from Cruise, our most dominant male. The team is now tracking the development of the embryos in an incubator and not in the female cheetahs. This process is called in vitro fertilization (IVF).

This important study is helping develop methods of impregnating the females and thus conserving their invaluable genes. If successful, in the future, it will not only assist the non-reproductive captive cheetahs in the world, but will be available to assist in maintaining the small, fragmented cheetah populations that are in great need of genetic variation. Although saving habitat is the ultimate goal in saving the species, understanding all aspects of the cheetah’s biology and physiology is one of the very important pieces in saving the cheetah for future generations.

Samantha and her coalition mates: Tempesta, Cleo, and Luna were been moved out to a smaller enclosure within our 64-hectare enclosure in late March so that fecal collection could be conducted. Once the fecal collections and observations are finished in mid-August, they will be released into the big area. Because there are four of them, we are sure that they will have no problems holding their own against the older females. Samantha lately has been getting bolder and bolder; she is right behind Cleo when feeding time rolls around.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Samantha.

TEMPESTA

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Tempesta! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

From mid-May through mid-August, Tempesta has been participating in a groundbreaking study on cheetah reproduction conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. CCF staff and volunteers have been tracking Tempesta’s estrus cycle through fecal collection and behavioral observation in order to better understand the reproductive biology in cheetahs of different ages. At three years of age, Tempesta was in the “young group,” the group that would just be starting to have litters of their own in the wild and that would have the best quality eggs. The 11 CCF cheetahs that are a part of this ground breaking study were injected with a series of two hormones 84 hours apart to facilitate follicle growth and then to induce egg formation on the follicles.

She was then put under anesthesia. The team then used ultrasound to see the reproductive organs of the females and then extracted her eggs, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

Her collection was successful and her eggs were in very good condition. Her eggs will be fertilized in our lab with sperm from Cruise, our most dominant male. The team is now tracking the development of the embryos in an incubator and not in the female cheetahs. This process is called in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Tempesta and her coalition mates Samantha, Cleo, and Luna were been moved out to a smaller enclosure within our 64 hectare enclosure in late March for fecal collection. Once the fecal collections and observations are finished in mid-August, they will be released into the big area. Because there are four of them, we are sure that they will have no problems holding their own against the older females.

This important study is helping develop methods of impregnating the females and thus conserving their invaluable genes. If successful, in the future, it will not only assist the non-reproductive captive cheetahs in the world, but will be available to assist in maintaining the small, fragmented cheetah populations that are in great need of genetic variation. Although saving habitat is the ultimate goal in saving the species, understanding all aspects of the cheetah’s biology and physiology is one of the very important pieces in saving the cheetah for future generations.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Tempesta.

MISTY

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Misty! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

From mid-May through mid-August, Misty has been participating in a groundbreaking study on cheetah reproduction conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. CCF staff and volunteers have been tracking Misty’s estrus cycle through fecal collection and behavioral observation in order to better understand the reproductive biology in cheetahs of different ages. Estimated to be about eight years old, Misty is in the older group of females. They are an especially important group in the study since not much is known about cheetahs her age. The 11 CCF cheetahs that are a part of this ground breaking study were injected with a series of two hormones 84 hours apart to facilitate follicle growth and then to induce egg formation on the follicles.

She was then put under anesthesia and the team used ultrasound to see the reproductive organs of the females and then extracted the females’ egg, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

Her collection was successful and her eggs were in very good condition. Her eggs will be fertilized in our lab with sperm from Cruise, our most dominant male. The team is now tracking the development of the embryos in an incubator and not in the female cheetahs. This process is called in vitro fertilization (IVF).

This important study is helping develop methods of impregnating the females and thus conserving their invaluable genes. If successful, in the future, it will not only assist the non-reproductive captive cheetahs in the world, but will be available to assist in maintaining the small, fragmented cheetah populations that are in great need of genetic variation. Although saving habitat is the ultimate goal in saving the species, understanding all aspects of the cheetah’s biology and physiology is one of the very important pieces in saving the cheetah for future generations.

During the three months of this study, Misty has been sharing a small enclosure with two other solitary cheetahs. The enclosure is small enough so that we can find fecal samples every day and identify which cat it is from. We can identify Misty’s fecal sample because we feed her meat into which we have stuffed corn. Misty cannot digest the corn and it comes out whole in her feces. Misty is the most dominant and boldest cat of the three and she definitely pushes her weight around. She is the first to come and grab her food, sometimes finishing it so quickly that she manages to steal food from the other girls before they can finish theirs.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Misty.

CLEO

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Cleo! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

From mid-May through mid-August, Cleo has been participating in a groundbreaking study on cheetah reproduction conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. CCF staff and volunteers have been tracking Cleo’s estrus cycle through fecal collection and behavioral observation in order to better understand the reproductive biology in cheetahs of different ages. At just over two years of age, Cleo was in the “young group,” the group that would just be starting to have litters of their own in the wild and that would have the best quality eggs. The 11 CCF cheetahs that are a part of this ground breaking study were injected with a series of two hormones 84 hours apart to facilitate follicle growth and then to induce egg formation on the follicles.

She was then put under anesthesia and the team used ultrasound to see the reproductive organs of the females and then extracted the females’ egg, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

Her collection was successful and her eggs were in very good condition. Her eggs will be fertilized in our lab with sperm from Cruise, our most dominant male. The team is now tracking the development of the embryos in an incubator and not in the female cheetahs. This process is called in vitro fertilization (IVF).

This important study is helping develop methods of impregnating the females and thus conserving their invaluable genes. If successful, in the future, it will not only assist the non-reproductive captive cheetahs in the world, but will be available to assist in maintaining the small, fragmented cheetah populations that are in great need of genetic variation. Although saving habitat is the ultimate goal in saving the species, understanding all aspects of the cheetah’s biology and physiology is one of the very important pieces in saving the cheetah for future generations.

Cleo and her coalition mates Tempesta, Samantha, and Luna were been moved out to a smaller enclosure within our 64-hectare enclosure in late March for fecal collection. Once the fecal collections and observations are finished in mid-August, they will be released into the big area. Because there are four of them, we are sure that they will have no problems holding their own against the older females. Despite being the second youngest in the coalition, she is definitely the boldest and most dominant. She is always in the front when we feed, chirping like a cub and crouched down ready to grab the first piece of meat.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Cleo.

OHANA-LUNA

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Ohana-Luna! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

From mid-May through mid-August, Luna has been participating in a groundbreaking study on cheetah reproduction conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. CCF staff and volunteers have been tracking Luna’s estrus cycle through fecal collection and behavioral observation in order to better understand the reproductive biology in cheetahs of different ages. At almost two years of age, Luna was in the “young group,” the group that would just be starting to have litters of their own in the wild and that would have the best quality eggs. The 11 CCF cheetahs that are a part of this ground breaking study were injected with a series of two hormones 84 hours apart to facilitate follicle growth and then to induce egg formation on the follicles.

She was then put under anesthesia and the team used ultrasound to see the reproductive organs of the females and then extracted the females’ egg, a task that requires precision timing—right before the female ovulates.

Her collection was successful and her eggs were in very good condition. Her eggs will be fertilized in our lab with sperm from Cruise, our most dominant male. The team is now tracking the development of the embryos in an incubator and not in the female cheetahs. This process is called in vitro fertilization (IVF).

This important study is helping develop methods of impregnating the females and thus conserving their invaluable genes. If successful, in the future, it will not only assist the non-reproductive captive cheetahs in the world, but will be available to assist in maintaining the small, fragmented cheetah populations that are in great need of genetic variation. Although saving habitat is the ultimate goal in saving the species, understanding all aspects of the cheetah’s biology and physiology is one of the very important pieces in saving the cheetah for future generations.

Luna and her coalition mates Tempesta, Samantha, and Cleo were been moved out to a small enclosure within our 64-hectare enclosure in late March. Once the fecal collections and observations are finished in mid-August, they will be released into the big area. As the youngest member of her coalition, she seems to be the most timid as well. However, she has gained the most weight among the four, which leads us to assume that she might be one of the bolder ones and is stealing meat from the other cats after she finishes hers. Because there are four of them, we are sure that they will have no problems holding their own against the older females.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Luna.





ORION

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Orion! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Orion lives in an enclosure with his brother, Saturn, and three other orphan male cheetahs, known as “the three musketeers.”

Orion is growing and filling out nicely. At two years of age, he and his brother would be starting to separate from their family and would be pushed away by dominant males. However, being in a pen adjacent to our most dominant cheetah, Cruise, doesn’t seem to have an effect on Orion. In fact, Orion is getting to be bolder, rushing up to the fence with his head low and tail between his legs and sort of hopping/galloping towards us. When he is a few meters away, he grinds to a halt, slaps the ground with his front paws and spits. It is definitely a fearsome image. When we come around to check the fence line before feeding, Orion and his pen mates are all sitting on a hill, as if waiting for us to come around so that they can make their way to the feeding enclosure. By the time we get around to the entrance of the feeding area, they are all there, waiting not so patiently for us to feed them.

He also reprimands the younger cats in his enclosure. When they are waiting to be let into their feeding area and one of them gets too close, he slaps them as if to warn them that he has seniority and they have to wait for their turn. When the guillotine door is opened for feeding, he is the first one through, grabbing his meat from the bowl and rushing off to eat.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Orion.

SATURN

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Saturn! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Saturn lives in an enclosure with his brother, Orion, and three other orphan male cheetahs, known as “the three musketeers.”

Saturn is growing and filling out nicely. At two years of age, he and his brother would be starting to separate from his family and would be pushed away by dominant males. However, being in a pen adjacent to our most dominant cheetah, Cruise, doesn’t seem to have an effect on Saturn.

When we come around to check the fence line before feeding, Saturn and his pen mates are all sitting on a hill, as if waiting for us to come around so that they can make their way to the feeding enclosure. By the time we get around to the entrance of the feeding area, they are all there, waiting not so patiently for us to feed them.

Saturn is also getting to be very bold, rushing up the fence with his head down and tail between his legs and sort of hopping/galloping towards us. When he is a few meters away, he grinds to a halt, slaps the ground with his front paws and spits. It is definitely a fearsome image. He also reprimands the younger cats in his enclosure. When they are waiting to be let into their feeding and one of them gets too close, he slaps them as if to warn them that he has seniority and that they have to wait for their turn. When the guillotine door is opened for feeding, he is one of the first ones through, grabbing his meat from the bowl and rushing off to eat.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Saturn.

D’ARTAGNAN

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about D’Artagnan! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

D’Artagnan lives with his two brothers (they are called the three musketeers) and two other males of similar age, Saturn and Orion.

Two months shy of two years, D’Artagnan is growing up to be a healthy cheetah. He is still growing and will still continue to muscle up quite a bit more. Although he is next to our most dominant cheetah, Cruise, D’Artagnan doesn’t seem to be scared or nervous. When we come around to check the fence line before feeding, D’Artagnan and his pen mates are all sitting on a hill, as if waiting for us to come around so that they can make their way to the feeding enclosure. By the time we get around to the entrance of the feeding area, they are all there, waiting not so patiently for us to feed them. D’Artagnan and his brothers still make the low growling sound; it seems as though he doesn’t take a breath, the sound is so constant.

As the second boldest among his brothers, he is right up there with Porthos, Saturn, and Orion during meal times, trying to get the best spot so that when the guillotine door opens, he can rush in as fast as possible. However, sometimes he gets too close, and Saturn or Orion hiss and spit at him. This is just part of the growing and learning process for a young male cheetah.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support D’Artagnan.

PORTHOS

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Porthos! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Porthos lives with his two brothers (they are called “the three musketeers”) and two other males of similar age, Saturn and Orion.

Two months shy of two years, Porthos is growing up to be a healthy cheetah. Although he is next to our most dominant cheetah, Cruise, Porthos doesn’t seem to be scared or nervous. When we come around to check the fence line before feeding, Porthos and his pen mates are all sitting on the hill adjacent to Cruise’s enclosure, as if waiting for us to come around so that they can make their way to the feeding enclosure. By the time we get around to the entrance of the feeding area, they are all there, waiting not so patiently for us to feed them.

As the boldest among his brothers, he is right up there with Saturn and Orion during meal times, trying to get the best spot so that when the guillotine door opens, he can rush in as fast as possible. He is usually the second one in, behind only Orion. However, sometimes he gets too close and Saturn or Orion give him a good slap on the head, just to remind him who is in charge.
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We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Porthos.

ATHOS

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Athos! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Athos lives with his two brothers (they are called “the three musketeers”) and two other males of similar age, Saturn and Orion.

Two months shy of two years, Athos is growing up to be a healthy cheetah. Although he is next to our most dominant cheetah, Cruise, Athos doesn’t seem to be scared or nervous of him. When we come around to check the fence line before feeding, Athos and his pen mates are all sitting on the hill adjacent to Cruise’s enclosure, as if waiting for us to come around so that they can make their way to the feeding enclosure. By the time we get around to the entrance of the feeding area, they are all there, waiting not so patiently for us to feed them.

As the most timid among his brothers and pen mates, he keeps his distance from us, coming no closer than about 10 meters, even during feeding times. When the guillotine door is opened, he is the last one in and only after he makes sure that we are nowhere near the fence line closest to the guillotine. When he gets to the bowls, they're all empty except for one and it is usually the one closest to the fence, and therefore us. He takes his time checking each bowl, actually looking up at us while creeping toward each bowl. When he finally reaches the bowl with the piece of meat left in it, he gives a growl as he grabs it, sometimes rushing too much and not actually managing to grab the meat. However, he eventually gets is and runs off to enjoy his meal in peace.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Athos.

RON

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Ron! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Since your last update, Ron has visited the dentist again. He has had a chronic sore on his cheek and we continue to try to find the cause of the problem. Although his last visit to the dentist in February showed no problems with his teeth, this time we found that indeed he does have a problem with his molar. It appears that his molar is dead and will have to be removed in the near future. We are now making arrangements for this, as he will need to go into our local village (45 minutes away from our Centre) and visit the people dentist, who has the appropriate equipment for the extraction. Poor Ron; however, his tooth does not seem to be bothering his attitude or his appetite.

Ron and his two sisters (Harry and Hermione) have been moved so that they are on display to visitors. During June and July, a volunteer worked and played with the three every day to continue their socialization process and keep them used to human presence. Part of this play involved getting Ron up onto a play tree. The first week was a bit difficult but Ron learned very quickly and now, he climbs onto his play tree without even a piece of meat to lure him.

Ron and his sisters are next to four older females who don’t seem to like his presence, while Ron seems to be amused by the hissing and spitting aimed at him. He will sit next to them at the fence with a calm expression while the older females try to scare him away.

We have also started Ron and his sisters on our mechanical lure system to exercise them and to show visitors their speed and agility. Although Ron is not the most consistent or attentive runner, he is far faster than his sisters when he chooses to run. When they are not running and the four older females are, the three cubs will run back and forth along the fence in excitement. Ron in particular makes such a racket brushing along the fence that the older girls sometimes stop running and look in his direction to see what all the noise is about.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Ron.

HARRY

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Harry! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Since your last update, Harry and her siblings (Ron and Hermione) have been moved so that they are on display to visitors. During June and July, a volunteer worked and played with the three every day to continue their socialization process and keep them used to human presence. Part of this play involved getting Harry up onto a play tree. Since Harry is the most timid of the three around people, we thought it would be a difficult task. However, she climbs readily onto the tree for her piece of meat. She is still the most wary and will hiss frequently, but she always comes close enough to take her reward. Now, she runs ahead of us to the tree and jumps up, ready for her reward.

Although she is timid toward us, she is very bold towards her siblings. At meal times, she will defend her food by growling and slapping at Ron when he tries to grab her piece.

We have also started Harry and her siblings on our mechanical lure system to exercise them and to show visitors their speed and agility. Harry is the most consistent and enthusiastic runner of the three. She will make usually two whole loops around the track before she flops down to rest, whereas her siblings will maybe run one loop. Even when she is very tired and breathing heavily, she will jump up and run after the lure if it comes by her. When they are not running and the four older females adjacent to them are, Harry and her siblings will run back and forth along the fence in excitement. They make such a racket brushing along the fence that the older girls sometimes stop running and look in their direction to see what all the noise is about.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Harry.

HERMIONE

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Hermione! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.
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Since your last update, Hermione and her siblings (Ron and Harry) have been moved so that they are on display to visitors. During June and July, a volunteer worked and played with the three every day to continue their socialization process and keep them used to human presence. Hermione is the most comfortable around people and this is very evident when we sit and socialize them. Hermione is usually the first one to come up and lay down for her treat. She has also started purring occasionally during this socializing period. We also asked Hermione and her siblings to climb onto a play tree as part of their learning process in obeying our commands. Again, she is usually one of the first up onto the tree even when we first started. Now, she knows the drill and climbs the play tree eagerly.

We have also started Hermione and her siblings on the mechanical lure system to exercise them and to show visitors their speed and agility. Hermione is the most eager of the three to run. When we are setting up the lure system and nailing the starter motor into the ground, she will come right up to us, ready to run. If the rag happens to be near the motor, she will grab the rag, even if we haven’t started! However, she is the quickest to learn to give up the rag for a meat reward and the most comfortable around visitors. She also seems to be a favorite among guests because of her dark face.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Hermione.


MAFATI

Mafati is one of our newest cheetahs. He arrived on June 1st with his brother and sister after being caught on a farm 35 kilometers outside of Otjiwarongo. They had killed a sheep inside the kraal and dragged it outside to eat. That, and the fact that they were estimated to be only about 12 months old, was the reason why we decided that they could not survive outside of captivity. Unfortunately, his sister died a month and a half after their capture. The reason for her death is still unknown, although our veterinarian did a complete workup.

Mafati is bigger and darker than his brother. Because they have been used to humans for less than two months, they are still very skittish when we come in to feed them. Usually, they stay in the corner farthest away from wherever we happen to be. However, if we get too close, Mafati puts on a display that would scare just about anyone. He hunches his back, tucks his tail under his body, and rushes at us, stopping about 5 meters away with a fierce hiss and spit. Then he stands with his back legs splayed out and his front legs close together, head down, tail under his body glaring at us. It seems that he has taken it upon himself to protect his smaller brother; in that regard he is doing a very good job.

MAKATI

Makati is one of our newest cheetahs. He arrived on June 1st with his brother and sister after being caught on a farm 35 kilometers outside of Otjiwarongo. They had killed a sheep inside the kraal and dragged it outside to eat. That and the fact that they were estimated to be only about 14 months old were the reasons why we decided that they could not survive outside of captivity. Unfortunately, his sister died a month and a half after their capture. The reason for her death is still unknown, although our veterinarian did a complete workup.

Makati is smaller and darker than his brother. When Mafati is doing his thing trying to scare us away, Makati is sitting in the corner, staring at us. Recently, he has started joining Mafati in his scare tactics. For the most part though, he is content to let his bigger brother play protector while he just lies there.

AMANI

Amani was brought to CCF in mid-June. A lodge near Windhoek acquired her when she was one year old in 2005 as a companion for their tame cheetahs. However, the two did not get along and Amani was brought to us.

At two years old, she is still young enough that we are able to introduce her to our four other young females in the hopes that they form an age-group friendship, like a female coalition. During the month that she has been with us, she has grown more and more comfortable with our presence. She has started taking her meat out of the dish when we are right there, which shows a very high level of comfort. She also has an adorable habit of pacing around with just the tip of her tongue sticking out of her mouth. She is now in Bellebeno, a 64-hectare enclosure, getting used to the four younger females and progressing nicely. We think that she will enjoy being in that enclosure.

JOSIE

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Josie! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Josie is still in his big 2.5-hectare enclosure with his coalition mate Gremlin. He has had some new neighbors in the past few months, in addition to Klein and Merlot. In late May, we picked up three 14-month old cubs from outside of Otjiwarongo, two males and one female. Then in mid-June, we received a two-year-old female from a lodge outside of Windhoek. Josie can often be seen in his feeding enclosure even when it is not feeding time; he seems very interested in the two new females.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Gremlin.

GREMLIN

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Gremlin! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Gremlin is still in his big 2.5-hectare enclosure with his coalition mate Josie. He has had some new neighbors in the past few months, in addition to Klein and Merlot. In late May, we picked up three 14-month old cubs from outside of Otjiwarongo, two males and one female. Then in mid-June, we received a two-year-old female from a lodge outside of Windhoek. Gremlin can often be seen in his feeding enclosure even when it is not feeding time; he seems very interested in the two new females.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Gremlin.

KLEIN

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Klein! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Klein is still sharing his 2.5-hectare pen with his coalition mate Merlot. It seems as though he enjoys scaring new volunteers. He hides behind the shade cloth so we can’t see him and jumps out and spits, sort of an initiation for new volunteers. When the guillotine door is opened for them to come and eat, he and Merlot race the few meters to their food dishes. Klein grabs his piece of meat, jogs a lap around the feeding pen with food in mouth, and then goes back to the food dishes, usually to Merlot’s. If there happens to be more than one piece of meat in the dish, he gets his own plus Merlot’s. He is definitely not going hungry! He is a consistent favorite among the volunteers because of his size and aggressive nature.

When we drive up to feed him, he is always waiting in his feeding enclosure; he hears the bakkie (pick-up truck) coming and knows that it is time to eat. When he is not eating, he is always at the other end of the enclosure. That is because three of our females were relocated to that area for a study done in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institute. The study involved giving the females hormones to simulate being in heat, so during that time, Klein was very interested in the new scents just meters away.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Klein.

MERLOT

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Merlot! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Merlot is still sharing his 2.5-hectare pen with his coalition mate Klein. When we drive up to feed him, he is always waiting in his feeding enclosure; he hears the bakkie (pick-up truck) coming and knows that it is time to eat. When he is not eating, he is always at the other end of the enclosure. That is because three of our females were relocated to that area for a study done in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institute. The study involved giving the females hormones to simulate being in heat, so during that time, Merlot was very interested in the new scents just meters away.

When the guillotine door is opened for them to come and eat, he and Klein race the few meters to their food dishes. Merlot grabs his piece of meat, jogs around the shed and sits down to enjoy his meal in the dirt. If there happens to be more than one piece of meat in the dish, he quickly eats the piece he has and goes back to eat the rest of his food. Volunteers always comment that he is probably the most beautiful cat at CCF.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Merlot.

CRUISE

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Cruise! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Cruise has had a busy six months. In February, he was still in the silver pens located next to our big boys Josie, Gremlin, Klein, and Merlot. In late March, we moved four young girls to our big 64-hectare enclosure. Their pen became available, and we moved Cruise to that pen, which is adjacent to his old one. He was like a new cheetah. He no longer meowed his sad cry and he had room to run around. In fact, he started running after the bakkie (pick-up truck) again as we did fence checks. He also had lots of new and interesting smells, especially that of the four previous female residents. His neighbors are five young males and they seem to get along great. There is no hissing and spitting at each other.

In early July, Cruise, being our most dominant male, was chosen as a sperm donor for a project being conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution. His sperm will be used to fertilize eggs aspirated from 11 of our females in hopes to improve captive breeding of cheetahs worldwide. Since Cruise is at the ripe old age of eight, we had one of our other cheetahs ready to donate sperm as well; however, Cruise not only had very good quality sperm, he had enough to inseminate all the eggs from all our females! He has been doing well since the donation and the move back to his old enclosure.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Cruise.

NINA

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Nina! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Nina and her coalition mate Solo are still in the 64-hectare enclosure at Bellebeno. They are the most dominant group there, so they tend to take advantage of that. They are always waiting for us at the gate when we drive up. When we open the gate to drive into the enclosure, Nina is always right there, almost asking us to hurry up so that she can get her piece of food. Sometimes, Nina waits right in front of the gate so that we cannot physically open the gate; she needs to be shooed away so the gate can swing open. When we start driving, Nina is always right behind the bakkie (pick-up truck), sometimes as close as 3 meters. Now six and a half years old, Nina is beginning to hit middle age but is still considered in the prime of her life.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Nina.

SOLO

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Solo! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Solo and her coalition mate Nina are still in the 64-hectare enclosure in Bellebeno. They are the most dominant coalition there so they tend to take advantage of that. They are always waiting for us at the gate when we drive up. When we start moving, Solo is right at the back bumper. As we make the turn, she has started to run ahead so that can cross in front of the bakkie (pick-up truck) and get along the other side. Then, she actually runs even with the bakkie, not chasing it but more like racing it. She puts her ears flat, tail parallel to the ground, and moves smoothly down the road, with seemingly no effort. It is definitely evident that she just plain loves to run, whether or not she is being fed. If we drive by the enclosure for some other purpose after they have been fed, Solo will run along the fence line as if she is just out for an afternoon jog.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Solo.

CHANEL

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Chanel! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Chanel is still living in the 64-hectare enclosure at Bellebeno. Although she is solitary, she has started coming to the bakkie (pick-up truck) with Nina and Solo, the most dominant coalition. Usually though, she comes when the Chocolate Girls (Toblerone, Nestle and Hershey) come, but always by herself, not actually with them. At just over six years of age, she is in the prime of her life. As the most aggressive and dominant cat in Bellebeno, the other cats give her a decent berth. Sometimes though, she backs down to some of the other girls if they hiss or spit at her. She will turn and show her back end, as if to say, “I’m sorry.” However, when the first piece of meat is tossed, she always grabs it first.

Chanel has developed a habit recently of actually popping out of the bush. When we are driving by, she will lie in a stalking position and jump up and run after we pass her. When we are stopped and waiting for her to show up, we can hear the bush and grass rustling, but it seems to be coming from every direction. It gets louder and louder until she hurtles herself out of the bush towards us. It is a bit of a fright because we don’t know which direction to be looking, but luckily we are in the back of a bakkie enclosed by railings. She is a very impressive cat and always a favorite among the volunteers.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Chanel.

SHIRAZ

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Shiraz and her cubs! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Since Shiraz’s release into our game camp in early February, she has walked quite a bit. About four and a half months later, she escaped our game camp and made it to our 1,400-hectare savannah, 10 kilometers away. While she was there, she made her first kill, a red hartebeest, one of the fastest antelopes in this area. A few weeks after that, she was seen trying to hunt a warthog; however, she and her male cub, Nehale, suffered injuries and had to be anesthetized and stitched up. Since that time, she had wandered off onto our neighbors’ lands and the decision was made to bring her back into captivity on the 25th of June.

However, on the 29th, we transported her to a 65,000-hectare game park called Erindi. It is totally electric fenced and she is protected from hunters. They also have an abundance of springbok, wildebeest, oryx, kudu, steenbok, duiker, and warthog; all natural prey choices. We think that she will be better off in a bigger area that is definitely escape proof and that she will have more chances and opportunities to hunt and teach her cubs how to hunt. An hour and a half after her release, we were proven right. We tracked her and found her on a steenbok kill! It must have been a very recent kill because when we found her, she was still resting from the chase while her cubs were eating their fill.

Since then, she has stayed close to the area where she was released; this is great since there is a nice waterhole with a good concentration of game. Marianne, one of our cheetah caretakers, has been keeping tabs on her and going to Erindi to track her as well as to train staff there on how to track. A good piece of news was received on one of her visits: Shiraz managed to hunt and kill a full-grown male springbok. This is another sign that Erindi is the right place for Shiraz and her cubs so that they can have the best future possible. Nehale is growing up to be a big male and he will make Shiraz, a bigger-than-average female, a very proud mother. His sisters Omukumu, Linyante, and Sheya are all growing big and fast as well. Within six to ten months, they will all separate and have families of their own.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Shiraz and her cubs.

TOBLERONE

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Toblerone! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Toblerone is still in the 64-hectare enclosure at Bellebeno with her sisters Hershey and Nestle. They occupy the corner opposite the entrance of the enclosure, so they are the last group of cats to be fed. Toblerone, being the boldest of the group, always shows up first with that inquisitive look on her dark face. She is also the best runner of her sisters, staying close to the bakkie (pick-up truck). If we are too far ahead, she will slow down, but as soon as we throw the first piece of meat, she sprints full speed towards the bakkie.

We are in the process of introducing five younger females into the group at Bellebeno. They are between two and three years old. At four years old, we think that Toblerone and her sisters will enjoy the company of younger cheetahs.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Toblerone.

HERSHEY

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Hershey! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Hershey is still in the 64-hectare enclosure at Bellebeno with her sisters Toblerone and Nestle. They occupy the corner opposite the entrance of the enclosure, so they are the last group of cats to be fed. Hershey is the most timid of her sisters and it shows when they come to the bakkie (pick-up truck). Toblerone runs, Nestle jogs, and Hershey walks. When she is about 20 meters away, she will slow down even more and almost creep towards us, with her head low so that she is looking up at us through the tops of her eyes. When we feed her, she is still very cautious, staying low to the ground and looking up at us while trying to grab her food. As timid as she is though, it seems that she is perhaps the most adventurous and fun loving. She seems to love to hunt guinea fowl. There isn’t much, if any, meat for a cheetah on a guinea fowl, so it can only be just to have fun. One time, she came to the bakkie with a guinea fowl in her mouth. Once she saw us though, she dropped the bird and started running after us, knowing that we probably had more and tastier meat to offer.

We are in the process of introducing five younger females into the group at Bellebeno. They are between two and three years old. At four years old, we think that Hershey and her sisters will enjoy the company of younger cheetahs.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Hershey.

NESTLE

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Nestle! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Nestle is still in the 64-hectare enclosure at Bellebeno with her sisters Hershey and Toblerone. They occupy the corner opposite the entrance of the enclosure, so they are the last group of cats to be fed. Nestle is not as bold as Toblerone, but she will still come fairly close to the bakkie (pick-up truck). She is starting to be a better runner, keeping up with Toblerone at times. However, she is smarter, or lazier, than Toblerone and Hershey; she will cut the corner very wide instead of following right behind the bakkie around the whole corner. That way, she ends up ahead, and closer, to us when we start feeding.

We are in the process of introducing five younger females into the group at Bellebeno. They are between two and three years old. At four years old, we think that Nestle and her sisters will enjoy the company of younger cheetahs.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Nestle.

ROSY

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Rosy! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments.

Rosy is still in the 64-hectare enclosure with 12 other females. She and Daisy still occupy the section of land between the entrance and the 1-hectare enclosure. Most times though, they will be at the entrance when we drive up; it seems as though they can hear the car from kilometers away. However, with Nina and Solo there as well, Rosie tends to hang back and wait patiently. When the bakkie (pick-up truck) starts moving, Rosie jumps up and is very eager to run behind us. After she is tossed her piece of meat, she runs off to eat. However, if we linger and wait for some of the other cheetahs to come around, she is always the first to return, looking for second helpings.

At four and a half years of age, Rosy is in the prime of her life. The Chocolate Girls (Nestle, Hershey and Toblerone) are about the same age and Rosy can sometimes be found with them. They seem to enjoy each other’s company.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Rosy.

DAISY

So much has happened in the six-month period since your last update about Daisy! We’d like to fill you in on the some of these exciting developments

Daisy is still in the 64-hectare enclosure with 12 other females. She and Rosy still occupy the section of land between the entrance and the 1-hectare enclosure. Most times though, they will be at the entrance when we drive up; it seems as though they can hear the car from kilometers away. However, with Nina and Solo there as well, Daisy tends to hang back and wait patiently. Daisy is still the most vocal in Bellebeno, and chirps and meows away while waiting to be fed. When the bakkie (pick-up truck) starts moving, Daisy jumps up and is very eager to run behind us. After she is tossed her piece of meat, she runs off to eat.

At four and a half years of age, Rosy is in the prime of her life. The Chocolate Girls (Nestle, Hershey and Toblerone) are about the same age and Rosy can sometimes be found with them. They seem to enjoy each other’s company.

We would like to thank you again for choosing to support Daisy.