Caught ...

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

Okay, I bought some film at the CCF gift shop (Cheetah conservation foundation [link]) and the pictures came out ... weird ... but actually I kind of like it. It reminds me of the old National Geographic pictures. This one in particular I find rather intense ... it is also (obviously) where my avatar came from.

Anyways, this is a cheetah that was one that was being rehabilitated. We were allowed to attend his (and two other cheetahs) use of a "run" where they put a rag on a string and used a motor to simulate something running through the grass. When they catch it they are rewarded with a small piece of meet. This exercise keeps them in shape and teaches those born/raised at CCF how to hunt.

I took this picture after that individual caught the slip of fabric and was warning everyone else off (cheetahs and humans). They came within a yard of us but never showed any aggression.