Amani

"I was caught by a farmer in the Khomas Hochland area (east of Windhoek) when I was about one year old. CCF does not know what happened to the rest of my family as I was too young to be on my own at that stage. The farmer gave me to a lodge, and I was kept there as a companion for their tame cheetah. However, we never got along and after a year they decided they did not want me anymore. CCF fetched me in June 2006. Amani means 'peace' in Swahili."

Amani is a true testament to the survival of the cheetahs. She was slow to grow accustomed to a new way of life at CCF, but once she found her niche in the girls world, there was no stopping this feisty cat.

Quasar

When these little cubs arrived CCF the afternoon of 13th August 2008, they were barely 2 days' old. Their eyes were still closed and their story was a very sad one. We were told that they had been cut out of their mother's womb two days earlier, after a farmer shot the mother because he perceived her as a threat to the livestock he depends on for his survival. When their existence was brought to our attention, a veterinarian was sent to see them and their transfer to CCF was arranged immediately. Based on their developmental state, they were just about to be born when their mother died.

Despite the efforts made, one little male cub did not gain strength and died the first day. The other three, one girl and two boys, made good progress and are known as The Stars.

Quasar had a cut on his tail that resulted in nerve damage, so it curls up in the end; we called him “Curly tail” or “Tail”. We later chose “Quasar” as his name. Quasars are the most luminous objects in the known universe and correspond to distant light sources surrounding a powerful black hole.

Quasar shares his enclosure with his brother Phoenix and sister Soraya and enjoyo utilising the “Big Cheetah” run area in our Centre pens. In this section Quasar has been able to extend his large limbs. Though not as fast as his siblings Soraya and Phoenix, Quasar displays a different type of running.

Normally, when the cats run, their heads are bent down, one paw at a time touching the ground, but in Quasar’s case he almost bounds down the run area. Staff members thought this style of running was due to the smaller course he was previously running, not allowing him to fully open up his stride, but it turns out this bounding technique is Quasar’s own running style! That’s not to say he is slow, he still keeps up with the lure (roughly 45mph), he just has a different running style to his siblings. He truly is a unique cheetah!

Soraya

When these little cubs arrived CCF the afternoon of 13th August 2008, they were barely 2 days' old. Their eyes were still closed and their story was a very sad one. We were told that they had been cut out of their mother's womb two days earlier, after a farmer shot the mother because he perceived her as a threat to the livestock he depends on for his survival. When their existence was brought to our attention, a veterinarian was sent to see them and their transfer to CCF was arranged immediately. Based on their developmental state, they were just about to be born when their mother died.

Despite the efforts made, one little male cub did not gain strength and died the first day. The other three, one girl and two boys, made good progress and are known as the Stars.

Soraya is lighter in color than her two brothers, and we called her “Little girl” or “Girl” in the beginning. before deciding on “Soraya." This name was chosen by the lady who rescued the cubs from the farmer and gave them over to CCF. Soraya is the Persian name for the youthful nebulous star cluster that we know of as “the Pleiades” or “the Seven Sisters”. The former Iranian empress was named after this constellation. Thereby the theme for the names of the other siblings was decided, it was going to be something celestial and grandiose.

Soraya shares her enclosure with her two brothers Quasar and Phoenix and enjoy utilising the “Big Cheetah” run area in our Centre pens. In this section Soraya has proven that she is in fact the fastest Star of them all. Keepers running the lure system were amazed at her speed. The current machine can only go 45mph (just over half their potential top speed of 70mph), and typically the keepers rarely hold the button down on full speed for long. But in the case of Soraya, there is no running the lure at any other speed than full steam ahead! Keepers are relieved when the lure comes to a turn because it gives the lure a chance to get ahead of Soraya, instead of her out running the machine!

Phoenix

When these little cubs arrived CCF the afternoon of 13th August 2008, they were barely 2 days' old. Their eyes were still closed and their story was a very sad one. We were told that they had been cut out of their mother's womb two days earlier, after a farmer shot the mother because he perceived her as a threat to the livestock he depends on for his survival. When their existence was brought to our attention, a veterinarian was sent to see them and their transfer to CCF was arranged immediately. Based on their developmental state, they were just about to be born when their mother died.

Despite the efforts made, one little male cub did not gain strength and died the first day. The other three, one girl and two boys, made good progress and are known as The Stars.

Because of his darker face, we called him “Dark face” or “Face” before settling for “Phoenix” because we associated his dark color with the ashes from which the Phoenix rises.

Phoenix shares his enclosure with his brother Quasar and sister Soraya. They enjoy utilising the “Big Cheetah” run area in our Centre pens. In this section Phoenix has been able to fully display his skills at running, and attempting to keep up with his sister Soraya. Keepers running the lure system were amazed at Phoenix and Soraya’s speed. The current machine can only go 45mph (just over half their potential top speed of 70mph), and typically the keepers rarely hold the button down on full speed for long. When it comes to Phoenix, there is no other speed than full throttle!

Phoenix continues to hog the limelight as well when it comes to photos. While his siblings prove to be equally beautiful, Phoenix displays his natural modelling skills posing nicely on termite mounds, delighting eager guests and CCF volunteers armed with cameras.