December 26, 2025 • 23 mins
Earlier this month was International Cheetah Day, so this week, Marco is learning all about the world’s fastest land mammal. The Cheetah Conservation Center at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is one of 10 U.S. breeding facilities for the South African cheetah, and there is a lot that makes this species of feline so special. Tune in to learn about their cleat-like toenails, amazing vision, and how they are not quite a big or small cat.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Ruby, When azis World, Marco went and This is Amazing Wildlife,
where we explore unique stories of wildlife from around the
world and uncover fascinating animal facts.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This podcast is in production with Iheartradios, Ruby Studio and
San Diego Zoo Wild lefl Alliance, an international nonprofit conservation
organization which oversees the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Okay, friend, so I have a joke for you to
get things started. You ready for this?
Speaker 4 (00:36):
I'm ready?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Okay, all right? So why don't you play cards in
the jungle?
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Why?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Because are too many cheetahs?
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (00:44):
No, okay, I've got one for you.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Oh you got one? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (00:49):
What's the difference between a cheetah and office supplies?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
A cheetah and office supplies? I don't know what.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
One is really fast and the other is stationary.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Oh, yours is way better than time.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
What a good way to start this episode?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Right?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
So you know, listeners, I'm sharing your guessing.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yep, We're gonna be talking all about cheetahs here and
I am at the beautiful Safari Park. You know, I'm
actually in a spot that maybe a lot of you
listeners are not aware of. So this is called the
Cheetah Conservation Center, and we'll talk a little bit about
the area, you know, but before we get things rolling,
I really should reference again the human being that's standing
in front of me right now. So, my friend, could
you introduce yourself your name and your title and what
(01:30):
you do here at the Safari Park.
Speaker 5 (01:31):
Of course, my name is Katie Wicks. I am a
lead wildlife care specialist here at the Safari Park and
I lead the Cheetah Conservation Center.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Oh that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
So, you know, as we were saying, you know, we're
out in an area that guests don't have access to
here really, I mean at times in the past, I
know there's been tours that possibly come out, you know
and check out certain areas.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
But could you describe this area here in the Safari
Park for me?
Speaker 5 (01:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
Absolutely.
Speaker 5 (01:55):
We're actually two miles out past the main rhino sign
for the Safari Park. We are typically not available to
the public, but we do offer special tours and behind
the scenes opportunities. And we're actually located in the bio
preserve for the Safari Park as well, and we're one
of ten breeding facilities in the United States for South
African cheetahs.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Oh, one out of ten.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Well, that's a big flex. Actually, that's amazing, right, Oh,
that's wonderful. Now, I know there's a lot to talk
about this amazing cat species from Africa, but I don't want.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
To always assume that kids or people know what we're
talking about when we say the word cheetah. So can
you describe what is a cheetah? What makes it so
unique here in the world.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
Absolutely, cheetahs are incredibly unique. They are neither large nor small.
They're somewhere in the middle. They have spots, but not
like spots like other cats have, right, and their nails
are unlike any other cat as well, they have more
like dog nails. And they're also the world's fastest land mammal.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Oh yeah, I mean that.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Again, that's a pretty good flex scene, I gotta say.
But honestly, I mean this is one of my favorite spots.
I always tell you Copull of my two favorite spots
of being a wildlife care specialists at the Safari Park.
It's actually Australia with all that beautiful wildlife condo ridge,
but also here when I was working at the Bird
Conservation Center because we're adjacent to that. Also it's a beautiful,
(03:15):
quite generally quiet eric but a lot of local wildlife
here too, which I really really love. Now, there's a
lot to talk about cheatish, but talk about the main
ones that people think about.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
So I made a joke earlier before we started about.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
How I remember back in the day, being part of
the behavior department, we had a program years ago called
a cheater Run right, highlighting the hunting behaviors of this
amazing mammal species from Africa. And then I was part
of the bird team, right, So I would hear friends
of mine, like a net as an example, and she'd
be talking about the fastest land mammal and the guests
get so excited and they see this, and then we
(03:49):
would stroll in with the peregrine falcon, right, and just
to highlight that the fastest animal by far, the peagrine
over two hundred miles per hour. But being the land
mammal and reaching that top speed, can you really describe
what's going on? Like why does the cheetah have to
be so fast? And how are they so fast? What
makes them so rappy?
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Though?
Speaker 5 (04:07):
Basically yeah, absolutely, So I'll tackle your second point first. Okay,
So the way they're able to be fast is because
of those toenails I was telling you about. It's kind
of like having cleats on their feet at any given moment.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Oh yeah, they're ready.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
To go soccer shoes or so erectly' always ready to run.
They're very spelt, they're built very aerodynamically physiologically, their heart
is enlarged, their lungs are enlarged so they can take
in more oxygen so that they can achieve those top
speeds and they can go up to seventy miles per hour. However,
they can't sustain that speed for that long. So, as
(04:44):
I like to tell people, oftentimes, cheetahs are still cats.
They're very good at conserving energy. So if they don't
have to run that fast, they won't oh right, right,
But we are able to provide them different opportunities to
run in different ways.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Out here as well.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Oh that's incredible.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
Yeah, so at the Cheetah run, we still do offer
that opportunity. It's different now than it used to look.
We're still training some new individuals to.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Really be a part of it. Yeah, Oh that's incredible.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
But out here, some of our pens are over an
acre large, and we can set up like zig zag courses,
so the cheetahs have to bank and they have to
do things that they weren't expecting and we can kind
of recreate a real hunt somewhat for them.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah. Oh that's exciting. Yeah, listeners, I'm looking around right now.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, this place is massive, like so many habitats here
for the cheetas. I didn't know that that behavior was
so being offered some guests, So guests be sure to
check out the website Sdzsafari Park dot org on the
safari section and you can see some updated information for
those cool experiences.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Yeah, it's wicked.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, absolutely, I would imagine the need to be that fast.
We're talking Africa, but if I'm mistaken, there's also asiatic
species as well. Right, can you talk regionally first, like
where can cheates be found in the world, and then
what's kind of their main prey?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
What are they doing?
Speaker 5 (05:53):
Yeah, so the South African species is the largest species,
and they are actually starting to do a little bit
better can considering the genetic bottleneck that they had been
subjected to prior to this due to human encroachment and
habitat fragmentation and such.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
But they're doing a lot better.
Speaker 5 (06:10):
The need for being that fast is kind of a
culmination of things. So cheetahs are predators, but they're not
apex predators.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
So they yeah in case starting out, because sometimes I
think of the kids listening, you know, So when you
say apex predator, you're talking like the top top predator.
Like if it's the ocean, it's a great white shark
and Africa, I imagine the lion with apex, right, So
you're saying she's not quite up there, right.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
Yeah, okay, I would put them if the lion is
very very top of the pyramid, they're probably like three
to four spots down. So they've got to contend with
painted dogs, hyenas, other cat species potentially, and it can
be a lot.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
So they're built for speed.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
They're not built to fight for their prey, right right,
So some of the adaptations that they've developed are going
to be that speed so that they can catch prey
that maybe other animals can't catch speed bys. They're also diurnal,
so they hunt during the daytime. So those black stripes
you see on their face are kind of like nature sunglasses.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Oh right, totally.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah, Like we talked about the peregrine falcon too, right,
So the same idea, it's to reflect light and absorb it, right,
get it away from the eye so they can see
their prey. Yeah. Oh that's really interesting now when we're
talking about prey and by praying mean kids, you know,
you know, they get hungry, they got to eat, and
so we're talking this is a carnivore, right, So an
animal like a Thompson's gazelle as an example, would be
like a small, medium sized herbivore in Africa, they would
(07:33):
be chasing.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yeah. Oh that's actually now to your point too.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Being diurnal, they're also avoiding that competition I would imagine
with some of the hyaenas and lines out there too, right.
And you made a point earlier because they're smaller animals,
so they probably can't defend their prey once they take
it down.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Am I correct?
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Well?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Yeah, you know I love story time. So let's say
story time. So we're at around the savannah. Right, Let's
say you and I are too cheetahs. We're hanging out
and now we see, oh, there's a Thompson's gazelle off
in the distance. It's during daytime, by the way, so
it's bright, it's sunny. You are the one that's going
to grab it. So describe to me the hunting, the strategy,
what's going on. How are you going to do this?
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Absolutely, I'm going to get low to the ground in
the grass, okay, so that they cannot see me. My
spot's blend in really well with that shifting grass.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Oh, that's why the spots. That's why the spots are gay.
Speaker 5 (08:20):
Yeah, and I'm going to block in. So cheetahs have
very very good distance vision. They have visual clarity up
to about two miles away. Oh I didn't know that really, Yeah, no,
and that's crazy. Yeah yeah, I can't see that far.
Well I can right now because I'm a cheetah.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
All right, that's right, your cheetah. Okay, here we go.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
So I'm going to be crouched down and the waving
grass kind of locking onto the prey. I'm going to
wait until one of those Thompson's gazelle's is by itself
or maybe lingering a little bit behind the rest of
the group because.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Their strength and numbers.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Right.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
Oh yeah, And once I see an opportunity where I
think I can blast off and try and catch it,
I'm going to do that. So I take off I
can hit about forty miles an hour in three steps.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Whoa and three steps?
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Three steps?
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Oh okay, okay, crazy yeah, but that Thompson.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
Skiz I was like, oh my gosh, and I'm gonna
start banking right and left. So I have a long,
heavy tail that helps act as a counterbalance so that
I can zig when they zig and zag when they zag.
So I'm not just good at running in a straight line.
I can also bank lot you can turn.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Oh that's wicked.
Speaker 5 (09:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
And then so not to get too graphic with the kitties, right,
but what's call it a cheetah hug?
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Right? So a cheeta hug around maybe the neck area?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Right?
Speaker 3 (09:32):
What's going on? Right?
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Okay, so you're the cheetah. Are you tired? What's going on?
You're holding on so tired.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
I'm holding on to the best of my ability. But man,
I and breathe the really hard right, And so I
gotta wait until my breath rate comes down because I
don't know if you've ever run really fast and then
tried to eat ice cream or get water.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Thanks for telling, hurt, Oh totally yeah.
Speaker 5 (09:52):
Yeah, So I gotta wait until I can have the
water or the ice cream. But in that time someone's
seen a cheetah running really fast and then be like, oh,
what's going on over there?
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Do they have ice cream?
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (10:03):
No, they might try and make.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
My I.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Mean, you know, I'm a big bird guy, right, so
I imagine some vultures just saw you, so they know
there's some food down there, right, and that could be
an indicator for other animals as well, right, So I
know we're making light of it. But also there's a
safety concern, right, So I mean, you have your prey there,
but you also have to be careful for another larger
predators easy because you could inevitably get injured.
Speaker 5 (10:25):
Correct, Yeah, So most of the time the cheetah is
going to opt to run away if it's faced with
too much competition exactly, And not to discount their bravery
that they think that they can hang onto it. They
may try, but more likely than not, they're gonna cut
their losses and try again another day.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
And can I ask you these every hunt successful or
is it a low probability in your opinion.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
There's a low probability.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
So because the cheetahs can't take down very large prey
or the prey will fight back. Sometimes the cheetah might
get injured, there's not a super high success rate, and
then and if they do catch the prey again, other
predators are going to come in and try and steal
all the glory.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
It sounds like a lot of challenge that cheats just
naturally have to contend with out there in Africa.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
But let's talk about.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
To you, because I know the numbers aren't so good, right,
can you speak a little about that the status of
cheat is overall, like how they do and how they're doing.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Okay, they're not so good.
Speaker 5 (11:19):
They're definitely a vulnerable species. But like I said, there's
been a lot of really great work going on in
Africa in addition to the support that institutions like the
Safari Park are participating in. The numbers are getting a
little bit better. Like I said, there's a little bit
more genetic diversity than there was prior. Still definitely not
what it needs to be to be a very, very
(11:39):
healthy population. But there's also been a lot of conservation
work to help educate local communities on how to coexist
with the predators because a lot of times when livestock
goes missing, it's actually not the cheatah's fault.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Right, not right. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I actually just finished talking some of the elephant teams too,
and just thinking about programs the Nature Conservancy or up
in northern Kenya. I love the program with Chewy Mama's
providing available not only water but food resources all. Some
of it is for the domestic livesck you know, for
their livelihood, but it's also benefiting a lot of animals.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
In particularly it was the leopard as a focus.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
But you know, my ADHG brain went saying, leopard, you
mentioned the spots of a cheetah.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Can we talk about because people get them confused?
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I think right between leopard and cheetah and jaguar. How
about Wes say in Africa, can you describe the difference
if you can, the spots between the two, the leopard
and the cheetah.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
How can we differentiate So.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
The best way I remember it is cheetahs have polka dots, yeah,
fully folded little dots all over. Leopards are going to
have like an open circle. And I say they have
like kind of the medium sized spot as the medium
sized cat and jaguars.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
I know they're not in Africa.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
Jaguars are the biggest cat and they have the biggest spots.
So they have that kind of like semicircle with the
rosette inside, so the most masked.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Oh that's a good way to say, thanks for spilling
the tea on the spots.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
I've always done a huge fan of spots by the way,
I think like African guinea fowl.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
But also it's just a great way to blend into
that area too.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Right, my brain's gone right now to like socio dynamics
of the cat species in Africa. You know, from the
leopard being a solitary animal to the line normally being
a very highly sociable kind of cat species. What's a
cheetah like? Because are they always solitary? Do they sometimes
hang out together?
Speaker 3 (13:27):
What's that about?
Speaker 5 (13:27):
That's a great question. So, as I said earlier, they're
neither large nor smaller, kind of medium. Okay, socially they're
also medium, so they're not truly social or truly solitary.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
So it kind of depends.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
So a lot of times you'll see something called a
coalition two brothers that maybe have moved on from living
with their mom. They'll live together. Sometimes you can see
a coalition of unrelated individuals too, that are like you
know what, it's really hard out here in Africa. What
if we're roommates and they can take down bigger break.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Oh that's cool. Is it always the same gender or.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
Does it change times? It's usually the same gender.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Okay, yeah, we have a coalition actually out here at
the CCC and it's two sisters. Oh really yeah, yeah,
So that is a little bit less typical. But in
the wild you typically see brothers. The females tend to
be a little bit more solitary and territorial, I feel that,
But a're still a little bit more nomadic too, So
those males will have their territories and the females will
kind of wander around and they'll have their territories too.
(14:23):
But it's all very fluid. It's interesting fluid.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
So to your point, it's not like a monogamous sort
of relationship. So you're saying, you know, it's time to
make some cheetah baby. So the males are generally trying
to find the females out there, right, they'll get together,
do what they do best, and then the male takes off, right.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Is that kind of the way it goes, right, And
then a little bit mama will.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Give birth to some baby cheetes, right, yeah, I've seen pictures.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Can you describe one for me for our listeners? Yeah? Cute?
Speaker 5 (14:51):
Yeah, okay, So I would say they're teeny tiny. They're
very small, they have really long fur. They're kind of
like a grayish color. They chirp like little birds.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
I have heard it.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Hopefully the sound team can find that sound. It's the
cutest little sound it is, and it's unique. It's a
unique sound, right, yeah, Actually talking about sound, so you
mentioned the chirping of the baby cheetahs.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Oh, before I get distracted.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Also, there's long hair with the cheetah babies, right, is
there a purpose?
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Is that long hair? In your opinion?
Speaker 5 (15:17):
Yeah, the main purpose is distraction and camouflage and blended
with grasses, they can look like other species of animals potentially.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Oh yeah, Oh that's a good idea.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
And so can I also ask you because you mentioned
we're talking about cheetah conservation earlier, mentioning fragmentation of habitat right,
genetic bottlenecks, and by that I mean there's not enough
variability individuals to keep it diverse and diversu is my
favorite word. So again, that's an issue that's going on
we talked about projects that are happening in Africa that
can benefit cheetah populations.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
But what are we doing here?
Speaker 2 (15:47):
I mean, it's called the Cheetah Conservation Center, right, So
what's kind of the goal here?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
What are we doing here?
Speaker 5 (15:51):
So, as I mentioned earlier, we're one of ten facilities
in the United States that participates in the South African
Cheetah SSP or speed Se Survival Plan. So we're one
of the ton institutions that breeds for that population. The
goal being to create as much genetic diversity as we can.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
The broader goal would then be to introduce the genetics
from the United States or even Europe or wherever to
be able to introduce those genetics directly into the wild
to help facilitate the diversity that way as well.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Oh, I love that.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
That's great And again guess I'm sure they know, but
coming to the Safari Park or the San Diego Zoo
they can help out and all those amazing programs too, Right,
that's excellent. Another question popped on ahead because I get
this one so much. When a career is around the
park of the zoo, is the term big cat and
small cat?
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Can you describe a little bit of that, Like, what
does that mean?
Speaker 2 (16:42):
We're talking about a separation of all the cat species
of the world, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Can you explain this for our listeners a little bit. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
Absolutely, It's kind of exactly what you might think it is.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
So big cats are going to be like lions, tigers, jaguars.
They're big cats. They roar, they roar exactly. Okay, then
you have small cats. You can include domestic cats in that.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (17:02):
Out here at CCC, we also have a species called
the black butt, a cat very little, and we have
cheetahs and even mountain lions could kind of be considered
in there.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
I read that too, so it wasn't sure if that
was accurate or not.
Speaker 5 (17:14):
So yes, okay, So the thing that they all have
in common is they can't roar, but they can per
They can per.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Oh yeah, that's kind of the easiest way, in your opinion,
to separate the two. And I would imagine it's something
to do with the structure in the vocal cords.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Right.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
I'm not a throat scientist, but that's what I had read. Right,
So that's kind of a quick lay. Where does a
cheata go in that cheetah.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
Again, they're somewhere in the middle. Mountain lions are kind
of in the middle too, but they can both per
so they actually kind of have their own genetic branch.
They're kind of their own thing genetically speaking. Yeah, they're
not a part of the broader panthera family like lions
and tigers are panthera.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
That's a pretty solid am like that. Oh, that's excellent.
Earlier I forgot to ask you this. We mentioned the
chirping that cheatahs can do. Now we're talking about the
per versus a roar. Can you describe to me in
like your favorite cheetah vocals, Like, what other vocals do
they have or do they have more?
Speaker 4 (18:02):
Yeah, they have a lot.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
They have a broad enough vocal range considering that they're
just cats, I mean, compared to birds that have like
a very broad vocal for sure. Yeah, my favorite would
be the stutter bark.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
The stutter bars.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
That can't do it myself, but it's kind of I
guess it's exactly what it sounds like, right, It's this
like stuttering sound that sounds like it comes deep from
in their throat and then they bark, but it sounds
more like a Chihuahua. Sometimes my pitch ya middle echo
through the valley out here. Oh, it's very loud, but
it's kind of their Marco Polo finding a girlfriend.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
I love them.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
My name is Marco Polo. So I really appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Oh that's great, so a way of because it's big
savannah habitats, right, so they have to navigate this space
and try to find a mate. Oh, I love that,
and so earlier to Kanasty with the conservation programs, we
talked about safe in all that aspect too. In your opinion,
is there other avenues or the ways of public and
health out with Chitta's got I was in the Beckman Center,
by the way, and I was telling what I was
(19:01):
about to do.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Everyone's face is lit up. Everyone loves cheetahs, you know.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So in your professional opinion, like, what else can people
do to help out cheetahs out here?
Speaker 5 (19:09):
Yeah, I would say, I mean, obviously, visiting the Safari
Park is a huge, huge help. It supports all of
our conservation efforts. Yeah, but there are like little things
that you can do as just a human being out
in the world to make more conscious choices about how
you interact with your environment and there is always options
for donating and just being aware in general.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
It's always very.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Helpful, Oh totally. And I actually always bring up to travel.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
I mean, I just have a friend of mine who's
actually going to go out to South Africa and into
her experience there. And I mentioned to kids in particular
that we all have the power to help the world
in a good way or not so good way, right,
and when we travel, be aware of the things we're promoting,
whether Eco tour is an example, right, make sure you're
supporting the right kind of institutions and organizations.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Or don't buy a claw.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Or a feather or a piece of wood on the
side of the street or even a store, because you
don't know where these things come from, right, especially with
wildlife traffic items.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
You know. So I really love that friend. This was
really great. I'm learning a lot. This sutter Brock.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
I've never heard one before, but I can't wait to
listen to it. You know, I'm gonna look it up
after this interview, but you know, before we get things
rolling up here, because we're getting close to our time.
I always love to ask people what got you into cheetahs? Like,
were you always like you were born and like, I
love spots, I love cheetahs.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I mean, what got you into this role? How did
this happen for you?
Speaker 4 (20:25):
Man?
Speaker 5 (20:26):
I feel like I'm the definition of never saying ever
ooh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
I've always really.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
Loved working with carnivores, and I've worked with carnivores for
a very large part.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
Of my career.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
The cheetahs, I don't know if it was just like, ah,
they're just not that, like they're kind of weird. Like
I don't know, and I'm just telling you, I'm going
on four years out here, and I still think they're
very weird and I can't quite wrap my head around it.
But man, they're so unique and cool and they make
you work for it. They really make you work for
the appreciation. But once they've got it, you know, you're like,
I respect this species a lot for everything that it
(20:58):
has to do to survive. Have how challenging it is
to just be a cheetah. You know, their life expectancy
is not that of other cat species out in the wild,
and they've got.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
A lot they're going up against. You know, we love
rooting for the little guy, for the underdog.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Oh, friend, I am all about the underdog. I love that.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
And also I failed to mention earlier that this episode's
actually gonna air a little bit after International Cheat Today, right,
which I really really love. And we have our Wildlife
Awareness Day in case our listeners aren't aware that if
you go to a website again sez Safari Park dot
or go to Wildlife Awareness Days and we have certain events.
So we're going to have maybe specialist talks out here.
(21:35):
Maybe there's activities for children, so always keep your eyes
and ears open for that, right other ways where the
world can celebrate cheetahs on International Cheat Today, which is
gonna be December fourth, So I'm really stoked about that.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
Friend.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
This was amazing. It's so calming here during our interview.
I didn't want to get distracted. If there's a red
tail hawk that called earlier too, did to hear it.
I know I loved it too. I just love mother nature,
the diversity of it. So this was wicked and awesome
cheetah joke that was way about other than mind by the.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Way, I loved it. You can steal it, all right,
give me some cheat knuckleels. I appreciate that. Thank you, friend.
That was great for sure.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Yeah, oh yeah, I learned so much about cheetahs. You guys,
I think I am a total fan. And don't forget
come here to the Safari Park. We have a beautiful
cheetah habitat also that you can navigate and walk towards
and check out.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
But don't forget.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
The Cheetah Conservation Center is off site, but there's tours
sometimes I can highlight certain.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
Areas if you want to learn more. Now, I've learned
so much this year.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
We've talked about so much, from meerkats to cassewerries to cheetahs.
And we have another episode, but I actually don't you
want to tell you what it is yet. You're just
gonna have to keep your eyes and your ears tuned
in to hear some more adventures. Marco went Stay Wild.
(22:56):
For more information about the San Diego Zoo and San
Diego Zoos at Farry Park, go to SDZWA dot org.
Amazing Wildlife is a production of iHeartRadio. Our supervising producer
is still in Fagan, and our sound designers are Sierra
Spring and Matt Russell. For more shows from iHeartRadio, check
out the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen
(23:18):
to your favorite shows,
Ruby, When azis World, Marco went and This is Amazing Wildlife,
where we explore unique stories of wildlife from around the
world and uncover fascinating animal facts.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This podcast is in production with Iheartradios, Ruby Studio and
San Diego Zoo Wild lefl Alliance, an international nonprofit conservation
organization which oversees the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Okay, friend, so I have a joke for you to
get things started. You ready for this?
Speaker 4 (00:36):
I'm ready?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Okay, all right? So why don't you play cards in
the jungle?
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Why?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Because are too many cheetahs?
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (00:44):
No, okay, I've got one for you.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Oh you got one? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (00:49):
What's the difference between a cheetah and office supplies?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
A cheetah and office supplies? I don't know what.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
One is really fast and the other is stationary.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Oh, yours is way better than time.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
What a good way to start this episode?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Right?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
So you know, listeners, I'm sharing your guessing.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yep, We're gonna be talking all about cheetahs here and
I am at the beautiful Safari Park. You know, I'm
actually in a spot that maybe a lot of you
listeners are not aware of. So this is called the
Cheetah Conservation Center, and we'll talk a little bit about
the area, you know, but before we get things rolling,
I really should reference again the human being that's standing
in front of me right now. So, my friend, could
you introduce yourself your name and your title and what
(01:30):
you do here at the Safari Park.
Speaker 5 (01:31):
Of course, my name is Katie Wicks. I am a
lead wildlife care specialist here at the Safari Park and
I lead the Cheetah Conservation Center.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Oh that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
So, you know, as we were saying, you know, we're
out in an area that guests don't have access to
here really, I mean at times in the past, I
know there's been tours that possibly come out, you know
and check out certain areas.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
But could you describe this area here in the Safari
Park for me?
Speaker 5 (01:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
Absolutely.
Speaker 5 (01:55):
We're actually two miles out past the main rhino sign
for the Safari Park. We are typically not available to
the public, but we do offer special tours and behind
the scenes opportunities. And we're actually located in the bio
preserve for the Safari Park as well, and we're one
of ten breeding facilities in the United States for South
African cheetahs.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Oh, one out of ten.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Well, that's a big flex. Actually, that's amazing, right, Oh,
that's wonderful. Now, I know there's a lot to talk
about this amazing cat species from Africa, but I don't want.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
To always assume that kids or people know what we're
talking about when we say the word cheetah. So can
you describe what is a cheetah? What makes it so
unique here in the world.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
Absolutely, cheetahs are incredibly unique. They are neither large nor small.
They're somewhere in the middle. They have spots, but not
like spots like other cats have, right, and their nails
are unlike any other cat as well, they have more
like dog nails. And they're also the world's fastest land mammal.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Oh yeah, I mean that.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Again, that's a pretty good flex scene, I gotta say.
But honestly, I mean this is one of my favorite spots.
I always tell you Copull of my two favorite spots
of being a wildlife care specialists at the Safari Park.
It's actually Australia with all that beautiful wildlife condo ridge,
but also here when I was working at the Bird
Conservation Center because we're adjacent to that. Also it's a beautiful,
(03:15):
quite generally quiet eric but a lot of local wildlife
here too, which I really really love. Now, there's a
lot to talk about cheatish, but talk about the main
ones that people think about.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
So I made a joke earlier before we started about.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
How I remember back in the day, being part of
the behavior department, we had a program years ago called
a cheater Run right, highlighting the hunting behaviors of this
amazing mammal species from Africa. And then I was part
of the bird team, right, So I would hear friends
of mine, like a net as an example, and she'd
be talking about the fastest land mammal and the guests
get so excited and they see this, and then we
(03:49):
would stroll in with the peregrine falcon, right, and just
to highlight that the fastest animal by far, the peagrine
over two hundred miles per hour. But being the land
mammal and reaching that top speed, can you really describe
what's going on? Like why does the cheetah have to
be so fast? And how are they so fast? What
makes them so rappy?
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Though?
Speaker 5 (04:07):
Basically yeah, absolutely, So I'll tackle your second point first. Okay,
So the way they're able to be fast is because
of those toenails I was telling you about. It's kind
of like having cleats on their feet at any given moment.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Oh yeah, they're ready.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
To go soccer shoes or so erectly' always ready to run.
They're very spelt, they're built very aerodynamically physiologically, their heart
is enlarged, their lungs are enlarged so they can take
in more oxygen so that they can achieve those top
speeds and they can go up to seventy miles per hour. However,
they can't sustain that speed for that long. So, as
(04:44):
I like to tell people, oftentimes, cheetahs are still cats.
They're very good at conserving energy. So if they don't
have to run that fast, they won't oh right, right,
But we are able to provide them different opportunities to
run in different ways.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Out here as well.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Oh that's incredible.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
Yeah, so at the Cheetah run, we still do offer
that opportunity. It's different now than it used to look.
We're still training some new individuals to.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Really be a part of it. Yeah, Oh that's incredible.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
But out here, some of our pens are over an
acre large, and we can set up like zig zag courses,
so the cheetahs have to bank and they have to
do things that they weren't expecting and we can kind
of recreate a real hunt somewhat for them.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah. Oh that's exciting. Yeah, listeners, I'm looking around right now.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, this place is massive, like so many habitats here
for the cheetas. I didn't know that that behavior was
so being offered some guests, So guests be sure to
check out the website Sdzsafari Park dot org on the
safari section and you can see some updated information for
those cool experiences.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Yeah, it's wicked.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, absolutely, I would imagine the need to be that fast.
We're talking Africa, but if I'm mistaken, there's also asiatic
species as well. Right, can you talk regionally first, like
where can cheates be found in the world, and then
what's kind of their main prey?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
What are they doing?
Speaker 5 (05:53):
Yeah, so the South African species is the largest species,
and they are actually starting to do a little bit
better can considering the genetic bottleneck that they had been
subjected to prior to this due to human encroachment and
habitat fragmentation and such.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
But they're doing a lot better.
Speaker 5 (06:10):
The need for being that fast is kind of a
culmination of things. So cheetahs are predators, but they're not
apex predators.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
So they yeah in case starting out, because sometimes I
think of the kids listening, you know, So when you
say apex predator, you're talking like the top top predator.
Like if it's the ocean, it's a great white shark
and Africa, I imagine the lion with apex, right, So
you're saying she's not quite up there, right.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
Yeah, okay, I would put them if the lion is
very very top of the pyramid, they're probably like three
to four spots down. So they've got to contend with
painted dogs, hyenas, other cat species potentially, and it can
be a lot.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
So they're built for speed.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
They're not built to fight for their prey, right right,
So some of the adaptations that they've developed are going
to be that speed so that they can catch prey
that maybe other animals can't catch speed bys. They're also diurnal,
so they hunt during the daytime. So those black stripes
you see on their face are kind of like nature sunglasses.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Oh right, totally.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah, Like we talked about the peregrine falcon too, right,
So the same idea, it's to reflect light and absorb it, right,
get it away from the eye so they can see
their prey. Yeah. Oh that's really interesting now when we're
talking about prey and by praying mean kids, you know,
you know, they get hungry, they got to eat, and
so we're talking this is a carnivore, right, So an
animal like a Thompson's gazelle as an example, would be
like a small, medium sized herbivore in Africa, they would
(07:33):
be chasing.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yeah. Oh that's actually now to your point too.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Being diurnal, they're also avoiding that competition I would imagine
with some of the hyaenas and lines out there too, right.
And you made a point earlier because they're smaller animals,
so they probably can't defend their prey once they take
it down.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Am I correct?
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Well?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Yeah, you know I love story time. So let's say
story time. So we're at around the savannah. Right, Let's
say you and I are too cheetahs. We're hanging out
and now we see, oh, there's a Thompson's gazelle off
in the distance. It's during daytime, by the way, so
it's bright, it's sunny. You are the one that's going
to grab it. So describe to me the hunting, the strategy,
what's going on. How are you going to do this?
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Absolutely, I'm going to get low to the ground in
the grass, okay, so that they cannot see me. My
spot's blend in really well with that shifting grass.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Oh, that's why the spots. That's why the spots are gay.
Speaker 5 (08:20):
Yeah, and I'm going to block in. So cheetahs have
very very good distance vision. They have visual clarity up
to about two miles away. Oh I didn't know that really, Yeah, no,
and that's crazy. Yeah yeah, I can't see that far.
Well I can right now because I'm a cheetah.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
All right, that's right, your cheetah. Okay, here we go.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
So I'm going to be crouched down and the waving
grass kind of locking onto the prey. I'm going to
wait until one of those Thompson's gazelle's is by itself
or maybe lingering a little bit behind the rest of
the group because.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Their strength and numbers.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Right.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
Oh yeah, And once I see an opportunity where I
think I can blast off and try and catch it,
I'm going to do that. So I take off I
can hit about forty miles an hour in three steps.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Whoa and three steps?
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Three steps?
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Oh okay, okay, crazy yeah, but that Thompson.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
Skiz I was like, oh my gosh, and I'm gonna
start banking right and left. So I have a long,
heavy tail that helps act as a counterbalance so that
I can zig when they zig and zag when they zag.
So I'm not just good at running in a straight line.
I can also bank lot you can turn.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Oh that's wicked.
Speaker 5 (09:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
And then so not to get too graphic with the kitties, right,
but what's call it a cheetah hug?
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Right? So a cheeta hug around maybe the neck area?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Right?
Speaker 3 (09:32):
What's going on? Right?
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Okay, so you're the cheetah. Are you tired? What's going on?
You're holding on so tired.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
I'm holding on to the best of my ability. But man,
I and breathe the really hard right, And so I
gotta wait until my breath rate comes down because I
don't know if you've ever run really fast and then
tried to eat ice cream or get water.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Thanks for telling, hurt, Oh totally yeah.
Speaker 5 (09:52):
Yeah, So I gotta wait until I can have the
water or the ice cream. But in that time someone's
seen a cheetah running really fast and then be like, oh,
what's going on over there?
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Do they have ice cream?
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (10:03):
No, they might try and make.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
My I.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Mean, you know, I'm a big bird guy, right, so
I imagine some vultures just saw you, so they know
there's some food down there, right, and that could be
an indicator for other animals as well, right, So I
know we're making light of it. But also there's a
safety concern, right, So I mean, you have your prey there,
but you also have to be careful for another larger
predators easy because you could inevitably get injured.
Speaker 5 (10:25):
Correct, Yeah, So most of the time the cheetah is
going to opt to run away if it's faced with
too much competition exactly, And not to discount their bravery
that they think that they can hang onto it. They
may try, but more likely than not, they're gonna cut
their losses and try again another day.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
And can I ask you these every hunt successful or
is it a low probability in your opinion.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
There's a low probability.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
So because the cheetahs can't take down very large prey
or the prey will fight back. Sometimes the cheetah might
get injured, there's not a super high success rate, and
then and if they do catch the prey again, other
predators are going to come in and try and steal
all the glory.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
It sounds like a lot of challenge that cheats just
naturally have to contend with out there in Africa.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
But let's talk about.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
To you, because I know the numbers aren't so good, right,
can you speak a little about that the status of
cheat is overall, like how they do and how they're doing.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Okay, they're not so good.
Speaker 5 (11:19):
They're definitely a vulnerable species. But like I said, there's
been a lot of really great work going on in
Africa in addition to the support that institutions like the
Safari Park are participating in. The numbers are getting a
little bit better. Like I said, there's a little bit
more genetic diversity than there was prior. Still definitely not
what it needs to be to be a very, very
(11:39):
healthy population. But there's also been a lot of conservation
work to help educate local communities on how to coexist
with the predators because a lot of times when livestock
goes missing, it's actually not the cheatah's fault.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Right, not right. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I actually just finished talking some of the elephant teams too,
and just thinking about programs the Nature Conservancy or up
in northern Kenya. I love the program with Chewy Mama's
providing available not only water but food resources all. Some
of it is for the domestic livesck you know, for
their livelihood, but it's also benefiting a lot of animals.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
In particularly it was the leopard as a focus.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
But you know, my ADHG brain went saying, leopard, you
mentioned the spots of a cheetah.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Can we talk about because people get them confused?
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I think right between leopard and cheetah and jaguar. How
about Wes say in Africa, can you describe the difference
if you can, the spots between the two, the leopard
and the cheetah.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
How can we differentiate So.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
The best way I remember it is cheetahs have polka dots, yeah,
fully folded little dots all over. Leopards are going to
have like an open circle. And I say they have
like kind of the medium sized spot as the medium
sized cat and jaguars.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
I know they're not in Africa.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
Jaguars are the biggest cat and they have the biggest spots.
So they have that kind of like semicircle with the
rosette inside, so the most masked.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Oh that's a good way to say, thanks for spilling
the tea on the spots.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
I've always done a huge fan of spots by the way,
I think like African guinea fowl.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
But also it's just a great way to blend into
that area too.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Right, my brain's gone right now to like socio dynamics
of the cat species in Africa. You know, from the
leopard being a solitary animal to the line normally being
a very highly sociable kind of cat species. What's a
cheetah like? Because are they always solitary? Do they sometimes
hang out together?
Speaker 3 (13:27):
What's that about?
Speaker 5 (13:27):
That's a great question. So, as I said earlier, they're
neither large nor smaller, kind of medium. Okay, socially they're
also medium, so they're not truly social or truly solitary.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
So it kind of depends.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
So a lot of times you'll see something called a
coalition two brothers that maybe have moved on from living
with their mom. They'll live together. Sometimes you can see
a coalition of unrelated individuals too, that are like you
know what, it's really hard out here in Africa. What
if we're roommates and they can take down bigger break.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Oh that's cool. Is it always the same gender or.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
Does it change times? It's usually the same gender.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Okay, yeah, we have a coalition actually out here at
the CCC and it's two sisters. Oh really yeah, yeah,
So that is a little bit less typical. But in
the wild you typically see brothers. The females tend to
be a little bit more solitary and territorial, I feel that,
But a're still a little bit more nomadic too, So
those males will have their territories and the females will
kind of wander around and they'll have their territories too.
(14:23):
But it's all very fluid. It's interesting fluid.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
So to your point, it's not like a monogamous sort
of relationship. So you're saying, you know, it's time to
make some cheetah baby. So the males are generally trying
to find the females out there, right, they'll get together,
do what they do best, and then the male takes off, right.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Is that kind of the way it goes, right, And
then a little bit mama will.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Give birth to some baby cheetes, right, yeah, I've seen pictures.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Can you describe one for me for our listeners? Yeah? Cute?
Speaker 5 (14:51):
Yeah, okay, So I would say they're teeny tiny. They're
very small, they have really long fur. They're kind of
like a grayish color. They chirp like little birds.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
I have heard it.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Hopefully the sound team can find that sound. It's the
cutest little sound it is, and it's unique. It's a
unique sound, right, yeah, Actually talking about sound, so you
mentioned the chirping of the baby cheetahs.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Oh, before I get distracted.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Also, there's long hair with the cheetah babies, right, is
there a purpose?
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Is that long hair? In your opinion?
Speaker 5 (15:17):
Yeah, the main purpose is distraction and camouflage and blended
with grasses, they can look like other species of animals potentially.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Oh yeah, Oh that's a good idea.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
And so can I also ask you because you mentioned
we're talking about cheetah conservation earlier, mentioning fragmentation of habitat right,
genetic bottlenecks, and by that I mean there's not enough
variability individuals to keep it diverse and diversu is my
favorite word. So again, that's an issue that's going on
we talked about projects that are happening in Africa that
can benefit cheetah populations.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
But what are we doing here?
Speaker 2 (15:47):
I mean, it's called the Cheetah Conservation Center, right, So
what's kind of the goal here?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
What are we doing here?
Speaker 5 (15:51):
So, as I mentioned earlier, we're one of ten facilities
in the United States that participates in the South African
Cheetah SSP or speed Se Survival Plan. So we're one
of the ton institutions that breeds for that population. The
goal being to create as much genetic diversity as we can.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
The broader goal would then be to introduce the genetics
from the United States or even Europe or wherever to
be able to introduce those genetics directly into the wild
to help facilitate the diversity that way as well.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Oh, I love that.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
That's great And again guess I'm sure they know, but
coming to the Safari Park or the San Diego Zoo
they can help out and all those amazing programs too, Right,
that's excellent. Another question popped on ahead because I get
this one so much. When a career is around the
park of the zoo, is the term big cat and
small cat?
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Can you describe a little bit of that, Like, what
does that mean?
Speaker 2 (16:42):
We're talking about a separation of all the cat species
of the world, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Can you explain this for our listeners a little bit. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
Absolutely, It's kind of exactly what you might think it is.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
So big cats are going to be like lions, tigers, jaguars.
They're big cats. They roar, they roar exactly. Okay, then
you have small cats. You can include domestic cats in that.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (17:02):
Out here at CCC, we also have a species called
the black butt, a cat very little, and we have
cheetahs and even mountain lions could kind of be considered
in there.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
I read that too, so it wasn't sure if that
was accurate or not.
Speaker 5 (17:14):
So yes, okay, So the thing that they all have
in common is they can't roar, but they can per
They can per.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Oh yeah, that's kind of the easiest way, in your opinion,
to separate the two. And I would imagine it's something
to do with the structure in the vocal cords.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Right.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
I'm not a throat scientist, but that's what I had read. Right,
So that's kind of a quick lay. Where does a
cheata go in that cheetah.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
Again, they're somewhere in the middle. Mountain lions are kind
of in the middle too, but they can both per
so they actually kind of have their own genetic branch.
They're kind of their own thing genetically speaking. Yeah, they're
not a part of the broader panthera family like lions
and tigers are panthera.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
That's a pretty solid am like that. Oh, that's excellent.
Earlier I forgot to ask you this. We mentioned the
chirping that cheatahs can do. Now we're talking about the
per versus a roar. Can you describe to me in
like your favorite cheetah vocals, Like, what other vocals do
they have or do they have more?
Speaker 4 (18:02):
Yeah, they have a lot.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
They have a broad enough vocal range considering that they're
just cats, I mean, compared to birds that have like
a very broad vocal for sure. Yeah, my favorite would
be the stutter bark.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
The stutter bars.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
That can't do it myself, but it's kind of I
guess it's exactly what it sounds like, right, It's this
like stuttering sound that sounds like it comes deep from
in their throat and then they bark, but it sounds
more like a Chihuahua. Sometimes my pitch ya middle echo
through the valley out here. Oh, it's very loud, but
it's kind of their Marco Polo finding a girlfriend.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
I love them.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
My name is Marco Polo. So I really appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Oh that's great, so a way of because it's big
savannah habitats, right, so they have to navigate this space
and try to find a mate. Oh, I love that,
and so earlier to Kanasty with the conservation programs, we
talked about safe in all that aspect too. In your opinion,
is there other avenues or the ways of public and
health out with Chitta's got I was in the Beckman Center,
by the way, and I was telling what I was
(19:01):
about to do.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Everyone's face is lit up. Everyone loves cheetahs, you know.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So in your professional opinion, like, what else can people
do to help out cheetahs out here?
Speaker 5 (19:09):
Yeah, I would say, I mean, obviously, visiting the Safari
Park is a huge, huge help. It supports all of
our conservation efforts. Yeah, but there are like little things
that you can do as just a human being out
in the world to make more conscious choices about how
you interact with your environment and there is always options
for donating and just being aware in general.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
It's always very.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Helpful, Oh totally. And I actually always bring up to travel.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
I mean, I just have a friend of mine who's
actually going to go out to South Africa and into
her experience there. And I mentioned to kids in particular
that we all have the power to help the world
in a good way or not so good way, right,
and when we travel, be aware of the things we're promoting,
whether Eco tour is an example, right, make sure you're
supporting the right kind of institutions and organizations.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Or don't buy a claw.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Or a feather or a piece of wood on the
side of the street or even a store, because you
don't know where these things come from, right, especially with
wildlife traffic items.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
You know. So I really love that friend. This was
really great. I'm learning a lot. This sutter Brock.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
I've never heard one before, but I can't wait to
listen to it. You know, I'm gonna look it up
after this interview, but you know, before we get things
rolling up here, because we're getting close to our time.
I always love to ask people what got you into cheetahs? Like,
were you always like you were born and like, I
love spots, I love cheetahs.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I mean, what got you into this role? How did
this happen for you?
Speaker 4 (20:25):
Man?
Speaker 5 (20:26):
I feel like I'm the definition of never saying ever
ooh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
I've always really.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
Loved working with carnivores, and I've worked with carnivores for
a very large part.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
Of my career.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
The cheetahs, I don't know if it was just like, ah,
they're just not that, like they're kind of weird. Like
I don't know, and I'm just telling you, I'm going
on four years out here, and I still think they're
very weird and I can't quite wrap my head around it.
But man, they're so unique and cool and they make
you work for it. They really make you work for
the appreciation. But once they've got it, you know, you're like,
I respect this species a lot for everything that it
(20:58):
has to do to survive. Have how challenging it is
to just be a cheetah. You know, their life expectancy
is not that of other cat species out in the wild,
and they've got.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
A lot they're going up against. You know, we love
rooting for the little guy, for the underdog.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Oh, friend, I am all about the underdog. I love that.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
And also I failed to mention earlier that this episode's
actually gonna air a little bit after International Cheat Today, right,
which I really really love. And we have our Wildlife
Awareness Day in case our listeners aren't aware that if
you go to a website again sez Safari Park dot
or go to Wildlife Awareness Days and we have certain events.
So we're going to have maybe specialist talks out here.
(21:35):
Maybe there's activities for children, so always keep your eyes
and ears open for that, right other ways where the
world can celebrate cheetahs on International Cheat Today, which is
gonna be December fourth, So I'm really stoked about that.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
Friend.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
This was amazing. It's so calming here during our interview.
I didn't want to get distracted. If there's a red
tail hawk that called earlier too, did to hear it.
I know I loved it too. I just love mother nature,
the diversity of it. So this was wicked and awesome
cheetah joke that was way about other than mind by the.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Way, I loved it. You can steal it, all right,
give me some cheat knuckleels. I appreciate that. Thank you, friend.
That was great for sure.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Yeah, oh yeah, I learned so much about cheetahs. You guys,
I think I am a total fan. And don't forget
come here to the Safari Park. We have a beautiful
cheetah habitat also that you can navigate and walk towards
and check out.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
But don't forget.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
The Cheetah Conservation Center is off site, but there's tours
sometimes I can highlight certain.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
Areas if you want to learn more. Now, I've learned
so much this year.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
We've talked about so much, from meerkats to cassewerries to cheetahs.
And we have another episode, but I actually don't you
want to tell you what it is yet. You're just
gonna have to keep your eyes and your ears tuned
in to hear some more adventures. Marco went Stay Wild.
(22:56):
For more information about the San Diego Zoo and San
Diego Zoos at Farry Park, go to SDZWA dot org.
Amazing Wildlife is a production of iHeartRadio. Our supervising producer
is still in Fagan, and our sound designers are Sierra
Spring and Matt Russell. For more shows from iHeartRadio, check
out the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen
(23:18):
to your favorite shows,
Hosts And Creators
Rick Schwartz
Marco Wendt
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