Cheetahs, the fastest land mammal, agile, elegant and super speedy! So what better way to see them than literally face to face.
The cheetahs were always my favourites when I was working directly with the big cats. Mucking out the cheetah house in the morning was great fun, the boys were really chilled out and Carl would even purr at me. The girls were a little more fiesty, hissing and spitting if you got a little too close for their liking. Each individual had a distinct personality and I really came to love them.
So when I moved into VIP driving I thought I would miss that closeness to them, but instead I now get closer than ever. As the land rover drives alongside them their attention is suddenly spurred, they quickly jump to their feet and come over to investigate, sniffing the tyres, eyeing up the mudflaps... then suddenly... hop up onto the bonnet! Now that really is a close encounter. With just the windscreen between each other we can literally stare eye to eye.
Its incredible to see them from such a unique angle, it gives you a great oppotunity to study their beautiful physique. From every hair on their body to the claws on their feet. They have gorgeous piercing eyes that stare right back at you through the glass. Its definitely a big hit with the guests.
But why do they do it? It could be for a number of reasons, firstly it gives a much better viewing point. Cheetahs often sit on higher ground, such as termite mounds, so they can scan their surroundings, and a land rover becomes just that, a great vantage point. It could also be because its a great escape from other predators, you don't see a lion jumping up onto a vehicle, so it could provide them with safety. Perhaps they are just purely interested, they often peer in at the passengers, occasionally hissing, but more often just with curiosity.
And its not just our cheetahs at Longleat that do this, even wild ones do. Its become a common sight to see cheetahs up on top of vehicles, even when its practically roofless. Safari guests often have the fright of their life when a cheetah jumps up right next to them, literally inches away. So close they can feel their breath. The cheetahs seem to pay no attention to the people, and even relax and lay down just centimenters away from the awed guests.
What would you do if you got this close to a cheetah? And why do you think they do it?
They hunt during the day to avoid other predators, hence they have tear marks which act as sunglasses, absorbing the suns rays rather than reflecting them into their eyes.
They are one of the few cats with non-retractable claws, which helps grip the ground whilst running.
Females are solitary, but males will often live in small groups of 2 or 3 known as coalitions.
Cubs are born with a long grey mane, thought to deter predators by giving the appearance of the ferocious honey badger.
It is believed a previous natural disaster reduced cheetah numbers to only a few individuals. This means they are severly inbred, and have extremely poor genetic diversity. This has resulted in low survivorship, poor sperm quality and great susceptibility to diseases.
The cheetahs were always my favourites when I was working directly with the big cats. Mucking out the cheetah house in the morning was great fun, the boys were really chilled out and Carl would even purr at me. The girls were a little more fiesty, hissing and spitting if you got a little too close for their liking. Each individual had a distinct personality and I really came to love them.
So when I moved into VIP driving I thought I would miss that closeness to them, but instead I now get closer than ever. As the land rover drives alongside them their attention is suddenly spurred, they quickly jump to their feet and come over to investigate, sniffing the tyres, eyeing up the mudflaps... then suddenly... hop up onto the bonnet! Now that really is a close encounter. With just the windscreen between each other we can literally stare eye to eye.
This photo of Longleat is courtesy of TripAdvisor.
Its incredible to see them from such a unique angle, it gives you a great oppotunity to study their beautiful physique. From every hair on their body to the claws on their feet. They have gorgeous piercing eyes that stare right back at you through the glass. Its definitely a big hit with the guests.
But why do they do it? It could be for a number of reasons, firstly it gives a much better viewing point. Cheetahs often sit on higher ground, such as termite mounds, so they can scan their surroundings, and a land rover becomes just that, a great vantage point. It could also be because its a great escape from other predators, you don't see a lion jumping up onto a vehicle, so it could provide them with safety. Perhaps they are just purely interested, they often peer in at the passengers, occasionally hissing, but more often just with curiosity.
And its not just our cheetahs at Longleat that do this, even wild ones do. Its become a common sight to see cheetahs up on top of vehicles, even when its practically roofless. Safari guests often have the fright of their life when a cheetah jumps up right next to them, literally inches away. So close they can feel their breath. The cheetahs seem to pay no attention to the people, and even relax and lay down just centimenters away from the awed guests.
What would you do if you got this close to a cheetah? And why do you think they do it?
Cheetah facts
They can reach 60mph in less than 3 seconds, with a maximum speed of 70mph.They hunt during the day to avoid other predators, hence they have tear marks which act as sunglasses, absorbing the suns rays rather than reflecting them into their eyes.
They are one of the few cats with non-retractable claws, which helps grip the ground whilst running.
Females are solitary, but males will often live in small groups of 2 or 3 known as coalitions.
Cubs are born with a long grey mane, thought to deter predators by giving the appearance of the ferocious honey badger.
It is believed a previous natural disaster reduced cheetah numbers to only a few individuals. This means they are severly inbred, and have extremely poor genetic diversity. This has resulted in low survivorship, poor sperm quality and great susceptibility to diseases.
