Lucky, Ayla and Tearmark

Ayla

Lucky, Ayla, Tearmark, Tessa and Tosca have settled into their new camp well and love their new space. Lucky is definitely still the boss of the group, but she doesn’t seem to be able to mediate all of the tensions. Younger cubs Tessa and Tosca are having to adjust  to living with Ayla and Tearmark who are slightly older than them and therefore tend to dominate the group of four - and then Lucky just rules them all!

Matt, our Research Biologist based at our Namib Carnivore Conservation Center in Solitaire has returned for a few weeks and he has a few tricks up his sleeve for these cheetahs. He has worked with cheetahs for years and knows how important exercise is for cheetahs in captivity, especially for those who may one day be re-released as Ayla, Tearmark, Tessa and Tosca hopefully will be. Every day Matt sets up a 250 meter circuit for the cheetahs to run around. They run after a cloth lure tied to a rope and are rewarded with “meat treats.” 

To everyone’s surprise, Lucky has proved to be the best runner in the group, proving that three legs can be better than four! She is very fast and can turn corners extremely well as she leans really deeply into them with the space left over from her missing leg. After Lucky runs, Tessa and Tosca have a go. Ayla and Tearmark are not very interested in the running and seem to be very lazy cheetahs. We hope they’ll get the hang of it soon enough, but if they don't it will pose a question mark over their suitability for release. 

Lucky

Tearmark

After a long round of running, the cheetahs are rewarded for catching the rag with small cubes of meat, but they have to eat them off of the end of a very long spoon that Matt holds. This gives the cheetahs a break as well as a reward. The meat treats are also used as an incentive for the cheetahs to leave the rag after they catch it. Just the other day Tessa took a big bite of meat off the spoon and actually took the whole spoon with her! Luckily Matt got it back without too much trouble. 

Tessa

 

Tosca

We have made significant progress encouraging these cheetahs to run, but the learning process is not get over and it will take consistent attempts. We are so proud of Lucky, she has exceeded all expectations in her strength and ability to overcome her disability and still live life as a cheetah. Hopefully the lazier cats will join in the fun soon!

Lucky and Ayla

Tearmark