Cheetah Girls
Posted at 12:36 pm February 12, 2007 by Kelly Casavant
The cheetah girls are approaching 18 months of age (see Kelly’s previous blog, Cheetahs in the Trees). My, how they have grown! They are almost at adult height and weight now. While Pombe was the largest for most of their cubhood, Etana has taken the lead by a few pounds. They each weigh in at 95+ pounds (43+ kilograms), with Moyo coming in at 90 pounds (41 kilograms) and Makena still the runt, at 85 pounds (39 kilograms) of cuteness. They still need to gow a little more in height and length. They will lose their “bellies” as they lengthen into the slim and trim adult cheetah profile.
They still spend their time running and playing throughout three large pens at the Wild Animal Park. We have done alot of husbandry behavior training with them, anything that will help them, the vets, and us keepers take care of them: being calm in a crate, sit, stay, paw presentation, etc. We think of it as job skills for their future. They will always have routine health exams and cratings, no matter where they live.
One of the main behaviors we focused on was crating, loading onto our truck, and eventually driving around, first just short distances and then slowly increasing the length. There was a lot of new stimulus for them each to get used to, from being alone to the sounds and smells of our truck and the sight of lots of other vehicles. We are happy to report they are all doing well with this, although Pombe and Etana soon were at the head of the class!
Stay tuned for details of Pombe’s trip to the vet hospital just for fun and individual bios as they have matured!
Kelly Casavant is a keeper at the San Diego Zoo’s center for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES).
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February 12th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Kelly, thank you so much for the update on our lovely cheetah cubs, now young ladies! I loved watching them in the Zoo’s nursery, and enjoyed your blog some time ago on their early days at the Wild Animal Park.
Are there plans in the works for their future breeding, either here at the Park or at another zoo? Please continue to keep us updated. Thanks again!
February 12th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Do you anticipate the girls moving to SSP chosen places anytime soon? How long do you plan to keep the 4 girls together. Granted they have been through training for preparation for a life on their own, but do they still live together most of the time?
There are 2 male Cheetahs at the NZ waiting for their next destination. Their 3 sisters left last year. Since they spend all their time together, grooming each other, and laying side by side, I have a hard time imagining them separated. At what age do Cheetahs in the wild strike out on their own.
The movie Cheetah showed the life of a lone cub growing into adulthood, so it is hard to imagine what the development process would be for a litter of 4 or 5 cubs.
February 12th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Hi, Thanx for the update. It sounds like the cubs have turned into fine young ladies. I was wondering if the cubs are separated from their mother? Will you breed their mom soon?
Margaret, I heard that the 2 cheetah male cubs at NZ were staying at the zoo to help breeding. Wouldn’t it be cool if the NZ cheetah males were bred with the Wild Animal Parks females. Margaret, won’t it be fun to celebrate the NZ’s male cheetahs’ second birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does their mother growl and show agression to her cubs (if they are not separated already)?
February 20th, 2007 at 11:08 am
what got you interested in the cheetah girls?
March 5th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Please Write More Blogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am interested in where the Cheetah girls will go. Will their mother have more cubs. When were the cubs born? Are they separated from mom?
Moderator’s note: The cheetah girls were born in August 2005. Read their story in Kelly’s blog, Cheetah Cubs Turn One, posted September 12, 2006.
June 30th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
The last sentence in the “Run Cheetah Run” article on page 9 of May ‘07 ZooNooz says cheetahs are “the world’s fastest LAND mammal”. What is the world’s fastest mammal?
Thank you.
Moderator’s note: Allan, it should have read “world’s fastest mammal” or “world’s fastest land animal.”