“As an organization committed to wildlife conservation, we recognize the importance of helping to preserve a sustainable cheetah population in human care, and we are also grateful for the support of our Ohio communities as this enables us to continue contributing to projects benefiting cheetahs in Africa. The Wilds is one of nine cheetah breeding centers created through this initiative to ensure a sustainable cheetah population in human care. The cubs’ birth was the result of breeding recommendations from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Cheetah Sustainability Program-part of a Species Survival Plan® (SSP)-a program coordinated by AZA and Conservation Centers for Species Survival (C2S2) to manage a sustainable population of cheetahs, whose numbers are declining in their native range. “The birth of these rare cheetah cubs is cause for celebration. They are adorable, but more importantly their births represent a significant contribution to the sustainability of this species’ population, and we are extremely proud to be directly involved in protecting the future of cheetahs,” said The Wilds Vice President Dr. Finnick has been the father of three previous litters at The Wilds.Īlthough Pumzika and her cubs will not be out of their behind-the-scenes den for a few months, guests may have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the litter in their den on a television monitor in the Carnivore Center at The Wilds during a Wildside Tour sometime within the next several weeks. Finnick is seven years old and came to The Wilds from the White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, Fla.
During these exams, the team learned that the litter consists of three males and three females, and the cubs appear to be healthy and are growing steadily.įive-year-old Pumzika was born at the San Diego Safari Park and arrived at The Wilds in July 2019. Yesterday, staff worked diligently and quickly to provide well checks on all of the cubs. Because Pumzika is a first-time mom, The Wilds’ animal management team continues to ensure that any potential disturbance of the cubs and their mother in their den box is limited and minimal. This litter is Pumzika’s, first, and The Wilds’ animal management team notes that she is providing great care to her cubs. When the keeper approached them, Isabelle crouched down and lunged toward the Heart of Africa keeper, who works around giraffes and other hoofstock.Cumberland, OH – The Wilds welcomed a litter of six cheetah cubs born at the conservation facility on October 30 to mother, Pumzika, and father, Finnick. The team invited the keeper to approach closer. Following standard operating procedures to transport her from one location to the other, Isabelle was harnessed, the release said.Īt the same time, a keeper from the Heart of Africa region was also walking down the service road toward the Animal Programs staff and Isabelle.Īt this time, Isabelle’s care team had her sit and she was calm and purring.
Liberty Township Fire Department treated the keeper on the scene, took them to an area hospital as a precaution, and they’ve since gone home.Īt approximately 9:55 a.m., Thursday, March 11, 2021, two Animal Programs staff members were walking a four-year-old cheetah, Isabelle, from the Animal Programs cheetah facility in the Heart of Africa to the behind-the-scenes yard across the Zoo’s Jerry Borin Trace service road for her daily exercise. The keeper had been invited to approach closer when cheetah Isabelle was sitting calmly and purring during a daily walk on her harness, according to a press release by Columbus Zoo.
0 kommentar(er)
