The thrilling Thai Tiger Kingdom experience fresh in my mind, I splurged on time with both the cheetah cubs and adults. They were much smaller than the adolescent tigers. In the adult's cage, I was struck by how slender a profile they present from above. Tall and narrow, they are built for speed, a feline counterpart to greyhounds.
Due to their flexible spines, they have the unique ability to keep their head propped up and alert while laying down. One of the handlers said they can even sleep in this position. The thickness of the black hairs making up the spots varies from the golden hairs which assists with heat distribution.
Unlike the tigers, I could feel the cheetahs purring when I petted them. I was slightly unnerved by the male, and soon switched to the smaller female. Neither cat could be bothered to sit up for me as they did with a few of the other tourists.
The three month old cubs were a bundle of energy, running around the enclosure chasing after each other. My time with them was rushed as a queue had formed.
Back at Backpacker's Paradise, I celebrated the ostrich once more, this time with Carla, a German-American, and an older (50's or 60's) Swedish couple who generously shared their wine with us. Afterwards, Carla and I shot some pool, a common offering in the bar area of the hostels.
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South African says
November 9, 2008 at 4:15 pmDave, nice pics – where did you go to see the Cheetahs?
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Dave says
November 10, 2008 at 12:57 pmI saw them in Outdshorn…..in the Western Cape but there are several parks in the country, including on close to Johannesburg I believe.
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Dave says
November 10, 2008 at 12:57 pmI saw them in Outdshorn…..in the Western Cape but there are several parks in the country, including on close to Johannesburg I believe.
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South African says
November 9, 2008 at 11:15 amDave, nice pics – where did you go to see the Cheetahs?
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Dave says
November 10, 2008 at 7:57 amI saw them in Outdshorn…..in the Western Cape but there are several parks in the country, including on close to Johannesburg I believe.
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amanda says
November 9, 2008 at 4:11 pmSO cute !! I’m jealous.
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amanda says
November 9, 2008 at 9:11 pmSO cute !! I’m jealous.
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Kango Suz says
November 10, 2008 at 11:49 amThe babies are SO CUTE!!! but then, that’s the nature of baby animals the world around, isn’t it? What an awesome experience- you always find the most interesting things to do when you’re in a new place. That’s what keeps me reading!
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South African says
November 10, 2008 at 6:01 pmYou’ve chronicled your trip to SA very well. I run a travel website at http://www.southafrica.to, and I want to highlight your blog postings once you’ve finished, so that our readers can reference them. Please let me know when you finish the SA series (you can get hold me at cheapflights@southafrica.to
Rgds,
Karen
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Dave says
November 17, 2008 at 7:17 amI’ll do my best to remember! Thanks :)
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South African says
November 10, 2008 at 1:01 pmYou’ve chronicled your trip to SA very well. I run a travel website at http://www.southafrica.to, and I want to highlight your blog postings once you’ve finished, so that our readers can reference them. Please let me know when you finish the SA series (you can get hold me at cheapflights@southafrica.to
Rgds,
Karen
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Dave says
November 17, 2008 at 2:17 amI’ll do my best to remember! Thanks :)
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Kango Suz says
November 10, 2008 at 4:49 pmThe babies are SO CUTE!!! but then, that’s the nature of baby animals the world around, isn’t it? What an awesome experience- you always find the most interesting things to do when you’re in a new place. That’s what keeps me reading!
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Pokin says
November 14, 2008 at 8:30 pmOh wow! How cool is this! One of my all time favourite experiences was watching a trio of cheetah brothers in a chase. But up close and personal like this can’t be beat. They are such beautiful creatures. Was this a rescue centre?
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Pokin says
November 14, 2008 at 3:30 pmOh wow! How cool is this! One of my all time favourite experiences was watching a trio of cheetah brothers in a chase. But up close and personal like this can’t be beat. They are such beautiful creatures. Was this a rescue centre?