Cheetah Mauling in PE

The news in The Herald last Friday concerned the mauling of a tourist from Scotland at a nearby cheetah farm.  The tourists were inside a petting zone, petting two teenage cheetahs that had been raised from birth by this game farm.  Then, one little boy started running.  The cheetah knew a good chase when it saw it, and started going after him.  The Scottish woman threw herself on top of the little boy, and the cheetah ended up biting into her face.  (She will be OK.)

Jim and I immediately wondered if this had occurred at Daniel Cheetah Breeding Farm, as both of us, and Mark and Beth visited there.  It did not, but I could easily see how it happened.  When Jim and I were there, one teenage female cheetah had a good time sprinting after me!  Luckily, I was on the other side of a fence, but it is quite the eerie feeling to look over your shoulder and see a big cat coming right at you.

Cheetahs are beautiful animals.  Fastest sprinter on land, they can reach 70 and 75 mph in short bursts. (Jim said that he didn't have to be faster than the cheetah.  He only had to be faster than me!)

Claws can't retract

Here are a few pics.  One of only a few cats that can't fully retract their claws, their paws help them get a good "grip" for the sprint.  But, it also means that they cannot climb trees.  The black "tear marks" running from the corner of the eyes keep sunlight out and allow them to see longer distances.  (Similar to the black streaks athletes put on their faces when playing outside.)

Caracal - Single male looking for female

Last, we also saw a caracal.  He is a medium-sized cat - about 2 times a large house cat.  He is known for his vertical jump - and can easily snatch birds in flight.  I loved his ears.  He is at the farm until they can find a mate for him.  Happen to know of an available female caracal?