OPENED: 2001
Cheetah Valley opened as a permanent exhibit along the Zoo's African Veldt near the Garden of the Senses in 2001 when two male cheetahs arrived at Omaha's Zoo from the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
In 2004, seven new cheetahs, three female and four male, came to Cheetah Valley from their native South Africa.
Cheetahs
As one of the fastest land animals, cheetahs can reach speeds of 70 miles per hour in seconds. Sometimes called the "greyhound of cats" the cheetah has many specialized characteristics that contribute to their swift hunting ability, including a flexible spine, an oversized liver, an enlarged heart, wide nostrils and increased lung capacity.
Cheetahs are one of the most uniquely marked cats. Sometimes mistaken for a leopard because of their tan coat with black spots, the cheetah's distinguishing feature is black "tear stripes" which run from the inside corner of the eye to the mouth.
As an endangered species, less than 10,000 cheetahs exist in the world due to loss of habitat, poaching and vulnerability to predators. Although they are the sleekest hunters in the plains, open woodlands and brushlands of Africa, they are reluctant fighters.
At Omaha's Zoo, these spotty, speedy cats are fed meat and bones and fast twice a week which is similar to what they would encounter in the wild. They do not drink much water because much of their needed moisture comes from the food they eat.