Lots of lions

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:48:02 +0000

Cheetahdays fan Caitlin requested more photos of Namibia, so here you go!

One great stop in Namibia is Etosha National Park, a park filled with a variety of animals, including many cat species. Cheetah and leopard shied away from us and were sadly not seen but the lions were not shy at all!

Our first lion sighting was this male and female pair. Remember you can click on the photo for a larger view. The male had an amazing mane!

The female stood up to give us a better view.

Then the male followed her lead.

Up the road we found the rest of the pride. Four females and one cub. Enlarge the photo and see if you can find them all. They camouflage so perfectly in the golden grass!

The next day we found these 2 females hogging the watering hole on the other end of the park!

Speaking of Ocelots

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 03:20:58 +0000

We know it is a cheetah blog but ocelots have been coming up quite a bit on the blog these days so we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight Sihil, our ambassador ocelot. Last week was Sihil’s 10th birthday. We celebrate all birthdays in the Cat Ambassador Program but this one was especially important because Sihil is the first endangered cat produced from a frozen embryo. Our hardworking Cincinnati Zoo scientists at CREW, The Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife, successfully produced Sihil in 2000 after five years of research and collaboration.

Here is Sihil at 5 weeks old with CREW scientist Dr. Bill Swanson, on Good Morning America.

Sihil at 6 months with Dr. Swanson. The technology developed to “make” Sihil is now being used to assist Brazilian ocelots, which are very endangered.

Dr. Swanson and Sihil today in the show yard.

We support all cat conservation and are proud to have such a notable ambassador in our program, as well as dedicated CREW scientists. Sihil continues to tell the CREW success story and share the plight of the wild ocelot with zoo visitors and school children.

To learn more about Sihil’s birth click here.

To learn more about the amazing conservation and research programs at CREW, click here.

Nia and the ocelot

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:44:24 +0000

Just like her brother Tommy, Nia also enjoys some office time.

This desk smells great!

Nia quickly finds something that catches her attention.

A newspaper article about the Ocelot Conservation Festival catches Nia’s eye, and then her mouth.

If you remember her brother Tommy also had an interest in an ocelot photo in the office.

Mmmmmm, conservation must be delicious!

Cheetah Run in Cheetah Country

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:19:38 +0000

At Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, the cheetahs run using the same lure system as our cats in Cincinnati.

Here are a few shots of their cheetahs chasing the lure.

Cheetahs around the globe all run with the same intensity and determination!

Alexa retires

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 19:39:21 +0000

Anatolian Shepherd “Alexa” came to the Cat Ambassador Program when she was 8 weeks old in January 2000 to be a companion and playmate for cheetah “Sahara”. Though it was not play at first sight Sahara and Alexa soon became good friends and excellent playmates. They also became good travel buddies, sharing the cheetah conservation story across Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky to students and conservation enthusiasts.

During her time here, Alexa helped to educate hundreds of thousands of school children and zoo visitors. Now, at almost 10 years old, Alexa is ready to retire from the ambassador life. She has left the program to live with a trainer who raised her. Alexa plans to spend her retirement lounging on the sofa, playing in the yard and of course, taking long naps. Anatolian shepherds CJ and Pow Wow, now 6 and 2, will take over all Anatolian ambassador responsibilities, including school programs and summer shows. They have big paws to fill!

We will miss Alexa and hope she enjoys her retirement!

Back from Cheetah Country

admin — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:29:34 +0000

Trainer and blog writer Linda is back from Namibia.

Wild and captive cheetah are succeeding in Namibia thanks to the efforts of conservation researchers and dedicated individuals working with the community. More pictures and stories to come soon!

See you later!

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:52:31 +0000

Cheetahdays blog author Linda is off to visit Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia.

Program founder Cathryn Hilker created the Angel Fund in 1980 to support cheetah conservation organizations like CCF that are helping to make a difference in the wild cheetah population.

The shows are still on at the zoo so feel free to visit us in person and/or come back to cheetahdays in mid August for an update on the Namibian cheetah population! To learn more about the Angel Fund, click on the link to the right. See you later!

Tommy T and the ocleot

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:57:20 +0000

Tommy T was comfortably enjoying the office chair when he caught sight of something. A birthday poster for trainer Alicia that had a large ocelot head on it (much larger than life size!). His reaction was quite, um, comical. Enjoy the photo series below:

Having realized the ocelot picture was not going to respond Tommy T stops- maybe he thinks he won the hissing match?

Tom’s chair

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:15:21 +0000

The papasan in the office is just for fun, mostly for the people but the animals like it too.

Tom thinks the chair is perfect for checking the blog.

He looks pretty cozy in the chair doesn’t he?

Suddenly Tommy notices something on the wall.

This is worth investigating!

Tommy in the office!

admin — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:08:40 +0000

Tommy had such a great time in the kitchen, he was invited to explore the office too.

He lays patiently on the floor, but only for a quick minute…

Tommy decides the empty chair must be for him.

With his young curiosity and great cheetah vision, Tommy is naturally interested in looking out the window.

Notice he looks right AND left! You never know where a tasty gazelle might be hiding!