WAC Cheetahs

Our Shaka running at top speed. This photo is copyrighted, DO NOT use this without permission from us. we received a very important shipment on British Airlines from Africa. Two crates that contained chirping cheetah cubs, Shaka (brother) and Zulu (sister). These cats will be permanent residents at WAC as a part of multiple goals. These goals are part of our Conservation and Education, and separate from our Rescue work. No funds have been spent from our Rescue donations and funding on this project is supported privately. They were sent to us in exchange for our ongoing promotion and support for De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre in S. Africa, where they were born. Money we have sent to their project has built Phase Two of their small cat breeding compound (Black Footed Cats and African Wildcats). We are implementing them into several (non-invasive) research protocols in association with three universities, in an attempt to learn more about the health and welfare of captive cheetahs.

In a perfect world cheetahs and all wildlife would only live in the wild. However, the human population is at such a level that there is relatively very little space left to sustain the huge populations of wildlife that once existed. CCF (Cheetah Conservation Fund) does a great job of relocating "nuisance" cheetahs that have been preying on livestock in Namibia to other reserves. De Wildt has had little success in introducing captive-born stock to a wild state. The cats that are all over the world in zoos from captive-bred cheetahs are wonderful ambassadors to their wild-born cousins, touching people's souls that are not able to ever come to Africa. In addition to being exhibited, they can be monitored closely in regards to behavior, breeding, health, and nutrition (what we are doing here) to learn more about their wild cousins. To learn this same information from wild cats, they are tranquilized and stressed heavily.

Unfortunately, the human population will undoubtedly continue to increase to astronomical proportions, creating even less wild habitat for animals, and certainly never more space. This captive population will continue to be healthy and well cared for into the millennium, due to places like De Wildt, zoos, and private collections, all over the world.