| | The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre is
home to many amazing cheetahs. In the breeding programme, we prefer to
let the mothers raise the cubs, but there are some instances where some
of the cubs have to be hand reared. Sometimes first time moms don't look
after the cubs, and other times if the cubs have injuries we step in
and hand-rear the cubs. When the cubs are hand-reared, the staff at our
farm have the opportunity to work closely with these cheetahs, and we
call these cats ambassadors. Just like humans, every cheetah looks
totally different, and behaves very differently as well. I would like to
introduce you to the current ambassador cheetahs we have at the moment,
and tell you about their amazing, sometimes quirky personalities... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| | | Byron looking gorgeous |
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| Byron at a school |
We would have to start off with Byron, since he is our first ambassador
cheetah. He is an amazing cheetah that visits schools. This year he
turned 10, and has seen thousands of learners. Byron is confident, and
loves traveling, but he does not really want to take part in our run.
The cheetah run is a great opportunity for enrichment for our cats.
There is a lure course, and the lure (danger tape) is pulled at speeds
of up to 75km/h. Byron normally watches the lure speeding away, and
walks over to chat to the nearest lady cheetah. Since he is quite the
ladies' cat and very handsome, Byron is part of our breeding programme.
He loves going up to the ladies in "Lover's Lane", and has sired a
number of beautiful cubs. At times when guests meet other ambassador
cheetahs near Byron's camp, he shows obvious signs of being jealous, and
recently even sprayed the auditorium windows while Yeats was busy
meeting guests! Poor Yeats gets very distracted by Byron.
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| Graca at the run |
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| Graca - a beautiful action shot |
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| Shaka eating |
Shaka is a beautiful king cheetah. His personality is completely different to that of Byron. Shaka is a gentle cat, and is not quite as brave as Byron. Shaka attempts to run, but is not the best athlete we have. Graca, Shaka's sister, is by far one of the best runners we have at the farm. Shaka and Graca turned 9 years old this year. Shaka is a very good ambassador for guests to interact with, but Graca only participates in the run, she is far to playful to do more.
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| A rare action shot of Shaka |
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| The Beautiful Charlotte... |
Charlotte is a beautiful young lady, and has been known to be very temperamental, but is a very well trained ambassador that can be used with small groups of adults. At the run, one is not guaranteed a good performance, but if she "feels like it", she does run very well. This lovely cat turned 6 years old this year.
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| Baby Phantom |
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| Yeats on a training session at a local school |
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| Phantom on the house |
Phantom, aka "Whisky" from the TV series "Cheetah Diaries" has a unique little face that suits her quirky personality. She had a problem with her eye, which her mommy tried to fix by licking it excessively. The little scar she has on her face does not detract from her cuteness :-) Phantom has an amazing "super purr", which is very high pitched. At 5 years old, she is a fabulous runner, and often plays in her camp with her ball.
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| Young Yeats |
Big Girl is an 11 year old that is possibly one of the friendliest cheetahs we have on the farm, and never turns down a good cuddle. This veteran still enjoys the run, and is absolutely beautiful to see in action, as she is a very large, majestic cheetah. She has the loudest purr of all our ambassador cats.
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| Lovely Big Girl |
Yeats is a young ambassador that shows great potential. He is brave and adores traveling, making him a possible successor for Byron to visit schools. He turned 2 this year, and loves a stroll on the farm and a good cuddle. Yeats is also a very handsome youngster, who has grown into a large cat. He is very playful and on walks to meet guests for interactions, he loves "chatting" to all the other cheetahs on the farm.
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| Charlotte |
Roy is a gorgeous 4 year old male, who loves to cuddle. He has a very deep purr, and does interactions with guests.
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| Mitsi playing with her ball |
Mitsi is a young lady who recently turned 1. She is an excellent runner, who has only joined the run line-up a few months ago, but already eagerly sprints for the visitors who come to the farm to watch the run. She is very friendly, and always greets Yeats as he walks past her.
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| Mitsi sticking her tongue out |
Why not join us at the Ann van Dyk Cheetah centre to meet these celebs in person, or see them in action at the run. You can also invite us to your school or function to give an educational presentation about cheetahs or wild dogs, and meet one of our ambassadors too! Live too far for a visit? Why not skype one of our cats from their camp straight to your classroom. For educational enquiries contact me on education@dewildt.co.za or +27 12 504 9906
www.dewildt.co.za
www.cheeta.org.za
Well done Rita
ReplyDeleteI've only "met" Byron and Shaka(had my picture taken with them on different visit) - but I got to see Graca as well. It's wonderful to read about the rest of the ambassadors. Next time I'm in SA I'd love to see them!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been there is a long time. Miss the place and the cheetahs - you guys are doing great work. Keep it up
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