Meet our Cheetahs
Our Female Cheetahs
Fiela
Fiela was the reason Cheetah Experience started, and the first cheetah ever at Cheetah Experience!
Fiela unfortunately suffered from kidney failure and passed away on the 7th of February 2019. She will be forever in our hearts and is missed terribly every day.
Today, the cheetah’s survival is threatened and the species is now becoming one of Africa’s most endangered “big cats”. Cheetahs are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red list. It is estimated that only around 7,100 cheetahs remain in the wild. This is a huge drop from the 14,000 estimated in 1975 and 100,000 estimated in 1900.
Juno
Hello I’m Juno!
I’m one of the younger cheetahs at Cheetah Experience. My friends always say I have really dark fur and piercing eyes, just like my Dad, Apollo. I’m also super fast, and you might find me running in the field at the farm, or chasing around my best friend Neo.
At top speed, the length of a stride of a cheetah is approximately 7 metres. We have very long and strong back legs to quickly gain speed.
Neo
Hi I’m Neo!
I’m one of the younger cheetahs at Cheetah Experience, and my best friend is Juno! I’m a very loving cheetah, and have a very playful nature! But I’m also very easy to fall in love with. My friends say I have a fuzzy teddy bear like face!
In Central Iran only about 50 Asiatic cheetahs remain in the wild with numbers fast declining. Researchers and conservationists are trying to protect the small number remaining but it is feared that they are acting too late.
Bijoux
Hi I’m Bijoux!
I am a bit shy at first but it is definitely worth spending time with me, as I do tend to open up after a while and might even come over for cuddles! I’m rather small, which apparently makes me really cute.
Flounder
Hi I’m Flounder!
After my mum Ariel, gave birth to my brother, my sister and myself, she struggled a bit to look after us and we were eventually given to our human mum to help us gain some weight. They call me the purr machine, because I'm always happy and purr loudly.
Love
Hi I’m Love!
I am smaller than most cheetahs but people say that's what makes me very cute. I have the sweetest personality and will always come over for a kiss or a cuddle.
When cheetahs run, we use our tails as rudders to make a 90º turn at top speed.
Faith
Hi I’m Faith!
I’m a really special cheetah, having survived meningitis at a young age, being one of two cheetahs in the world who have survived this disease. Through the love of the staff and many months of rehabilitation, I got my ability to walk again, but people do say I walk a bit funny. But I can run perfectly fine which is quite amazing!
Bela
Hi I’m Bela!
I like chasing my toys or snoozing with Riana the most. I was also very sick as a baby and only survived through determination and willpower!
My mum Sahara could not take care of me, so Riana had to step in as my mom.
I love to poo on top of anything high, it is fun to see the staff struggle to get it down!
Ranee
Hi I’m Ranee!
I like my personal space and prefer to spend my time with my friend Jeremiah, whom I'm sharing my enclosure with. We were born around the same time and raised together and now we are the best of friends.
Ariel
Hello I am Ariel!
I was born at Cheetah Experience in 2019.
I love playing football, it’s always such fun! On April 20, 2024, I had three beautiful cubs. Being a first-time mom was overwhelming, and after six weeks, my little ones grew weak. My carers rushed my cubs to the vet, and when they came back, I couldn’t care for them anymore, because I had been a bit too rough with them.
I have a very distinctive face and a light coat that makes me stand out.
Savannah
Hello I am Savannah!
I was born on February 7, 2016. When I came to Cheetah Experience, I was thin and weak, and spent a month at the vet in Pretoria while Dr. Peter Caldwell treated my gastritis and spinal problems. As a cub I nearly died from toxicity, so my health is watched closely. Even with these challenges, I stay loving and sweet, and I always share my purrs."
Liefie
Hi, Im Liefie!
I was born on April 21, 2021, and am the daughter of Love. As a single cub, I faced some early challenges when my mom didn’t quite understand how to care for me. For several days, she tried to carry me around the camp, bumping me into fences and trees. The staff stepped in and Riana decided to see if Neo, who also had cubs, would accept me. Thankfully, Neo fully embraced me and I joined Neo’s litter, thriving with my new family.
Topaz
Hello I am Topaz!
I was born at Cheetah Experience in 2019. I am a wonderful and caring mother. On March 30, 2024 I gave birth to my first litter, consisting of four healthy boys. Two of my boys were sent to another project, where their father is from, while the other two, Charley and Ezekiel, are still at Cheetah Experience.
Ayla
Hello I am Ayla!
I was born on June 16, 2021, with my brother Thato. I joined Cheetah Experience in 2022, bringing lots of love and purrs. Now I share a camp with my friend Liefie, we’ve become inseparable!
I love chasing the ball, and she loves playing with me. Together, we’re a perfect pair.
Our Male Cheetahs
Thato
Hello I’m Thato,
I was born on June 16, 2021, just like my sister Ayla, and joined Cheetah Experience in 2022.
I love climbing trees and exploring everything around me.
With my teddy bear face, I’m pretty hard to resist! These days I live in my own camp, thriving and enjoying my independence.
Blitz
Hi I’m Blitz,
I am a very handsome male who arrived in 2021 from a facility outside of Bela Bela that had to close due to Covid. I am now living at Cheetah Experience and will help diversify the bloodlines of cheetahs born at this project.
Cheetahs have special paw pads and semi-retractable claws that provide great traction when we start running and change direction.
Jeremiah
Hi I’m Jeremiah!
I am a young male cheetah at Cheetah Experience, and make a lot of people laugh with the silly things I do. I share my enclosure with my friend Ranee and we are inseparable.
Cheetahs have amazing eyesight, and can see up to 5km away on a clear day.
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Benjamin & Blessing
Hello we’re Benjamin & Blessing!
We were born on April 10, 2023, to Sahara and Joseph.
At first, our mom cared for us so well, and we thrived. But during a huge rainstorm, she left us alone, drenched and cold. The staff watched and hoped she’d return, but by early morning it was clear we needed help.
They stepped in, brought us to safety, and cared for us when our mom didn’t come back
Rafiki
Hello I’m Rafiki!
I was born on February 11, 2024, five days early, and my two siblings didn’t survive. I was hand‑raised to keep me safe, and even though everyone thought I wouldn’t make it, I pulled through.
Later I faced more challenges, an abscess, then crooked legs that needed surgery, but I overcame them all. Today I’m happy, healthy, and thriving… truly a little miracle
Duke & David
Hello we're Duke and David!
We were born by caesarean section on the day that Cheetah Experience moved the cheetahs from Bloemfontein to Bela Bela. Our mum Juno was taken to Onderstepoort veterinary hospital on the way and Riana stayed by her side throughout the surgery.
We will be released at some point in the future when we are old enough.
The black tear mark on a cheetahs face is designed to absorb the sunlight when hunting and is unique to every cheetah like a fingerprint to a human.
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Hope & Horizon
Hello I’m Hope & Horizon!
We were born on December 28, 2013. I’m Hope, with a lighter coat, and my sibling Horizon has a darker one.
We like keeping our distance from people and spending time on our own. Some say we’re a mystery, but here in the sanctuary, we’re strong, beautiful, and free
Rameses, Ra, Rion & Ryu
Hello we're the quadruplets!
On March 30, 2024 our mom, Topaz, gave birth to us. We were four healthy boys.
Our brothers were sent to another project, where their father is from, while the two of us , are thriving. We are the running champions of Cheetah Experience.
Wea re super fast and hope to become super fit.
Charley & Ezekiel
Hello we're Charley & Ezekiel!
On March 30, 2024 our mom, Topaz, gave birth to us. We were four healthy boys.
We’ve grown so much, it feels like only yesterday we were playful youngsters, and now we’ve become such handsome boys.
Watching us grow is not only a joy, but also a reminder of why protecting cheetahs is so important: every cub deserves the chance to thrive and grow into adulthood.