Ready for a kill at any time.

Tame, you said?

But, being a flightless bird, wandering into the tigers cage and start calling them names was a bad bad idea…

If you know where it comes from, feel free to inform me (I found the photos on a Russian with not much details).

photo credit: jurvetson

King cheetahs are not so exceptional that you can’t see them in zoos (but you may have to travel to meet them). I wondered if it was possible to list of zoos of the world which have at least one of them in exhibition.

• DeWildt Cheetah Research Centre, in South Africa.
• Kapama Game Reserve (South Africa)
• Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo (Australia, NSW)
• Kgosi: animal ambassador from the Wild Cat Education & Conservation Fund in Occidental, California (USA).
• Many king cheetahs are said to be present in some public institutions (and in private ownership) in the Arab Peninsula, where most of the king cheetahs are probably present (if not always easy to view).

Of course, such a list cannot be permanently up-to-date without the help of the readers of YLoveBigCats. Please, feel free to comment to add new locations (or tell when the last king cheetah of a zoo unfortunately died, as it happens sometimes).

Locations which previously had king cheetahs:

• Jama: Canberra National Zoo (Australia) – Was initially acquired from De Wilt Centre
• Singapore zoo in 2004
• Some king cheetahs have been spotted in 2005 around Tshukudu game lodge, in South Africa

The moral in the tale lies somewhere around the need to understand the difference between a big cat who does not climb (the tiger) and one that climbs routinely (the leopard). The monkey knew.

The German police found the wrecked truck and Caesar safe and sound. It is not known whether the thief was unable to drive or if the noises from the back of the car were more distracting than the usual mobile phone used while driving.

Source: AFP.

It would never have happened with a large American SUV, of course.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk.

No free wild animals, but some nice pictures.

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge them

Source: Daily Mail.

But reality is slightly simpler: These tourists do not take the slightest risk. They are merely visitors to the Werribee Open Range Zoo, in Melbourne, Australia. There, a nicely prepared presentation allows to feel the thrill of being an African prey in all security behind a thick glass window (cutting in two halves the car model).