Nina - April 2007

Greetings from Namibia! Quite a lot has happened since your last update:

In mid-February, Nina, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Nina weighed in at 36 kilograms (79.2 pounds), the same as she was last year.

Nina is usually in a coalition with Solo, with Misty sometimes joining them; they are usually waiting by the gate for us when we come to feed them. Recently, they seemed to go their separate ways, as only Solo is at the gate waiting for us. Nina is at the opposite corner of the enclosure, as far from Solo as possible in the 64 hectare camp, with Misty as her occasional companion. During one Bellebeno Safari, Misty and Nina sat under a tree and groomed each other for 15 minutes, both purring. Solo, however, is always found near the gate, which is indicative of her dominance over Nina. Nina does come back to the gate near Solo, stays for a week, and then goes away again.

Thank you again for sponsoring Nina and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.