At the end of the seminar we were bussed out into the countryside to a cheetah preserve.
We were amazed how much the landscape reminded us of the trip to Payson, Arizona. We even thought that we saw Saguaro cactus dotting the hills. Sister Packer told me that they were aloe vera. They must be a distant cousin to the aloe vera that we know in Arizona. They had tall stems and then leaves just at the top. We felt like we were in the rim country heading for a little family camp-out at Ponderosa Camp grounds.
The DeWildt Cheetah and Wildlife Center started when a lady who owned a farm bought two little orphan cheetah cubs. Now the farm has become a wildlife preserve for over 80 predators.
We rode in open vehicles through both caged and open areas. We saw some interesting cats, vultures and brown hyaenas in cages and then moved on to the open areas with wild dogs, antelope and cheetahs. The guides were very knowledgeable. I loved hearing every detail of the animals' habits and characteristics.
Next we saw the wild dogs. I've never been a great lover of wild dogs, although I do love domestic dogs. But after hearing about their habits, I like them much more. They live in families and they are very protective of their own. Babies and the weak who are not able to care for themselves are left in the den and taken care of by the other dogs. A runt is also left at home during hunting to guard the weak in the den. After the hunt the strong bring food and feed the weaker animals before they eat. With most predators the strong get the food and then the others eat the scraps. Wild dogs won't leave others behind if they are injured or lost. They take care of the family, hunt together and have a protective society.
They are, however, the fiercest hunters in the savannah. They hunt in packs and only eat fresh meat. Wild dogs are the killers of prey and then they must eat all they can very quickly before other larger predators come and take the kill away. Now we can tell grand kids not to eat like wild dogs!
The animals are fed by hand and do not prey on other animals like in game parks. We were able to see some feeding times. We were surprised to see the handlers walk right over and put the food in trays without being bothered by the dogs and cats. After the dogs devoured the meat, they went to the pool,drank and splashed in the water. Then they took a rest in the shade.
They seem like they'd make nice little family pets, but watch them eat. You'll change your mind.
We also saw a large herd of antelope and some interesting birds along the way.
Next, it was time for the CHEETAHS.
It wasn't quite feeding time and the cheetahs just weren't all that interested in coming out of the shade on this hot day. So, the guide and animal feeder went looking for them. We couldn't believe that they just wandered off into cheetah country. All in a day's work.
After considerable coaxing the cheetahs decided it was a good idea to have a little snack
and devoured the horse meat roasts in a minute.
The last thing we did was pet a cheetah. The handlers train some of the cats to be quite obedient and docile. However, Roy, the cheetah, did occasionally decide he wanted to get down from the table or didn't want to be bothered by people. Then those who were with him had to stand back until he decided it was time to play again. He was pretty much in charge of how playtime went.
Packers and Jamesons with Roy, the Cheetah
It was a great day with the predators of the Wildt Center!
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