Today is the first in a series of posts that will provide a behind the scenes look at cheetahs and dogs at the Houston Zoo. I have to admit, I’m stealing this idea from Alyson Footer, who writes a great blog about the Houston Astros, my favorite baseball team. Alyson just did a series about what goes on behind the scenes on a baseball road trip, and I thought “this is great, I bet people would like to know this about the zoo too.”
So first, we head down to the cheetah barn. It’s only 7:30am and the Grounds team is already out getting the zoo ready for another day.
Next, we head over to check on the animals. Unless the weather is bad, the cheetahs and dogs have the option to sleep out under the stars if they choose. Here’s Kito coming over to say good morning.
Or more likely he’s saying “where’s my breakfast?” Tune in next time to see what’s on the menu.
What kind of behind the scenes info about cheetahs and dogs would you like to see?
*This is part 1/4 in our CheetahDog Blog Giveaway. Answer our cheetah keepers’ questions and you’ll be entered to win two free tickets to the Zoo! If you answer all 4 in this series, your chances of winning increase.
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I know there’s an upcoming post on feeding the cheetahs, but that’s actually what I’m most interested in seeing. What do you feed them? How often? How do you feed them? Etc. Looking forward to the next post!
Im interested in seeing cheetahs at night! Infared camera action. Do they run around, play, fight? Plus the glowing eyes would look cool
Great idea! I love it! I would like to see the cheetahs & dogs playing and interacting. What kind of relationship do they have?
I can’t wait to see you feed the Cheetahs they are such beautiful creatures, I also would love to know what they are fed.
I would love more info about the dogs as I am the proud owner of an Anatolian Shepherd Dog, who protects my goats from stray and loose dogs as well as bobcats and coyotes.
I have always been curios about the behind the scenes at the zoo. I am interested in seeing the interaction between the animals and humans
Would love to see more about how cheetah’s interact with the zookeepers.
I would like to see vet check ups on the big cats and also their play time. What they do in the zoo to get rid of their energy. I would like to see play time because I would like to also see the way they interact with each other.
I’d love to see their interaction with their young as well as training techniques or play time.
I’d also like to see a demonstration of their strength, if possible.
Great new blog! How exciting!
Hi
wow I think this is very interesting, My daughter who is 14 has a 2 year old deaf Australian Shepherd who is to say the least a lot to handle, I would love some tips about dogs from the experts thx
That’s a great idea – thanks! The cheetahs get routine checkups with our veterinary staff – the next time one is scheduled I will bring the camera!
Great suggestion! There are some earlier posts that show these interactions – check out the posts on training and the pool party and there will be more in the future.
Yay for ASDs! I’ll include more dog information in future posts – in the meantime there are some older posts you might want to check out http://houstonzooblogs.org/cheetahdog/2009/08/dog-profile-tusker/
Actually cheetahs are fairly unique among the cats – they are primarily active during the day. Periodically the staff is at the zoo after dark and mostly we see them sleeping!
I will add this to the list of things to video – thanks for the idea!
I will make this a future topic – there are some older posts on training that you might be interested in seeing in the meantime. Thanks!
Our cheetahs are brothers so unfortunately there will not be an opportunity to see cubs but there are some earlier posts on training and a pool party this summer. One of the unique things about cheetahs are that they are so adapted for speed that they are not that strong compared to the other big cats. Being large predators, they are still much stronger than a domestic cat – I will see if I can think of a way to show off their strength – thanks for the suggestion!
Australian shepherds are quite different than Anatolians – Aussies are herding dogs and Anatolians are livestock guarding dogs so their personalities and behavior are nearly opposite. Anatolians stay with the herd so they are bred to be independent, whereas Aussies are bred to work the herd and respond to the shepherd’s commands. The biggest difference is probably energy level – Anatolians are very mellow unless they see a threat. There are some links on the right side of this page that have some great info on Anatolians and I would encourage you to find a group that specializes in Australian shepherds to give you some advice – good luck!
Travis and Vickie – hopefully all your feeding questions will be answered in this week’s posts!
Enjoying the blog
Baseball is the greatest sport in the world. I’m really looking forward to the new season. Should be the best yet.
Baseball is the most interesting sport in the world. I’m excited about the new season. Should be a lot of fun.