Posted by Hollie in Off Topic
I’ve spent this little hiatus thinking about where to go next with this blog – now, don’t get me wrong, I love writing about cheetahs and dogs but there is a lot more that goes on at the zoo. We’re thinking about expanding this blog to cover more animal-related topics – what do you think?
For example, the behind the scenes series was popular (hopefully not just because we gave away some free tickets) so we could do more of those in other areas. I’m also hoping to get some of my colleagues to pitch in with stories from other sections. I’m going to try out a few things the next few weeks and I’d love to hear from all of you on what you like and what you’d like to see.
African wild dog, one of the Africa's most endangered carnivores - want to see more about them here?
Posted by Hollie in Cheetah Ambassador Program, Conservation
christmas shopping in july
Did I mention last week we had lots of cool stuff for sale? All the money (over $800) will go to Cheetah Conservation Botswana’s Livestock Guarding Dog Program:
“CCB has initiated its first mobile veterinary clinic, providing free care for Livestock Guarding Dogs in identified farming communities. The initiative started in Ghanzi and was extremely well received by the community. The clinic provides free vaccinations and sterilization for livestock guarding dogs. Free resources are distributed during the clinics on how to minimize conflict with predators. In 2008 CCB began constructing an LSGD network of farmers through our LSGD Newsletter and we now have 3 times the number of contacts we had in 2007.
The project also aimed at improving the general health of domestic dogs in the surrounding areas which expose the guard dogs and the local predators to disease. CCB teamed up with the Maun Animal Welfare Society (MAWS) whose mandate is to control population numbers and health of domestic dogs through sterilization clinics. Together we sterilised 24 dogs and vaccinated and dewormed close to 200 animals, whilst informing these key communities about the benefits of using guard dogs.
The annual competition for the Best Livestock Guarding Dog in Botswana, helped significantly in promoting the programme. We are gathering much data on their use and we continue to encourage farmers in the programme.”
-from CCB’s Cheetah Tracks Newsletter March 2009
don't worry, no cheetahs were harmed in the making of that tablecloth
Thanks to Carnivore Keeper Susan Shepard for the great pics. Dogs and cheetahs, together again. Anyone sensing a theme here?
Posted by Hollie in Cheetah Ambassador Program, Profiles
no autographs today, please
Name: Tusker (Tusker is the name of a Kenyan beer with a cute elephant on the label. I always thought it would make a great name for a zoo animal, plus it reminds me of my amazing zoo trip to Kenya).
Vital Stats: Tusker is a 2 year old Anatolian Shepherd dog, born in Missouri and came to the zoo at about 12 weeks old. He has several brothers and sisters, including Taji.
Interests: Napping, barking, playing with Taji, visiting his friends around the zoo
Tusker is stubborn and protective, which are true Anatolian traits. He prefers stage presentations to meet and greet encounters so we schedule his appearances accordingly.
Posted by Hollie in Featured, adaptations
ready for my pedicure
All of you know now that the cheetah is the world’s fastest land mammal, able to run up over 65 mph. Cheetahs accomplished this by becoming specialists, and their specialty is speed. This makes them unique among other cats and some people even think they are even a little bit dog-like, but more on that later.
In order to be so fast, cheetahs have to be taller and leaner than most cats. This means they can’t catch the large prey (like adult zebra and buffalo) that other cats eat. It also means they can’t stand up to lions and hyenas who try to steal their food or even attack them. This makes their personality a little different too. Cheetahs are much more timid than other cats, usually opting flight over fight when faced with a confrontation.
But now on to today’s cool cheetah adaptation. Other cats have retractable claws, meaning they can extend the claws when they need them and retract them out of the way when they don’t. If you’ve ever played with a house cat, you’ve likely seen both options (hopefully without requiring first aid).
Cheetahs claws don’t retract all the way and are somewhat blunted and their pads are rough, similar to a dog’s feet. Actually their not exactly like a dog’s feet because they are partially retractable (see photo). The claws serve as cleats that dig into the ground and the pads provide more traction (think tire treads).
Posted by Hollie in Cheetah Ambassador Program
the whole gang out for a walk
Some of you may have seen the cheetahs and dogs out in the zoo, but we also wanted to provide some great guest experiences at their exhibit as well.
We are working on developing a show, for lack of a better word. Now don’t get too excited, there won’t be any dance numbers or costumes – our show will focus on the animals’ amazing adaptations and behaviors.
cheetahs schmeetahs, I need a nap!
So what’s so cool about cheetahs and dogs?
Well, everybody knows cheetahs are fast – in fact, they are the world’s fastest land mammal. So we’ll show off their speed for sure but a few other things as well.
The dogs like to show off that they can do anything cheetahs can do and maybe a few other tricks as well. More on that later…