A cheetah family at an Oregon wildlife facility was allowed to chase a remote-controlled race car last week as a form of “enrichment.”
The accompanying footage was shared April 2 by Wildlife Safari, a drive-through park that’s home to more than 600 animals, including rare and endangered species.
“Our one year old cheetah family and mom Paca really enjoyed being out for our cheetah watch time with keeper Rob driving around the car for them,” the facility stated on Facebook. “Enrichment can come in a variety of ways, one thing we always do is close off our entrance and exit gate of our cheetah/tiger drive-thru loop and let a single cheetah or group of cheetahs out to explore.
“The biggest question we always get asked is if the cheetahs have the chance to run? While this opportunity gives them that chance, they are cats so sometimes they need a little motivation!”
As viewers will note, the cheetahs aren’t sure what to make of the race car. They seem to enjoy chasing it, but don’t really want to catch or even touch the motorized vehicle.
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Most of the nearly 900 comments were positive, including this from a follower named Adam: “Just proves that cats are cats sometimes. They love to chase and their predator-prey instinct always kicks in when the hunt is on.”
Cheetahs are the planet’s fastest land animals and can reach speeds of 50 to 80 mph, so an enrichment plan that allows for running and pursuing would seem to provide important stimulation.
Wildlife Safari, besides being a drive-through park for the public, operates a cheetah-breeding program in a partnership with the Assn. of Zoo and Aquarium’s Species Survival Plan for cheetahs.
According to the Wildlife Safari, 235 cheetah cubs have been born on site and “have populated zoos across the United States.”