Hamilton Zoo's cheetah Kaitoa
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Kaitoa was born in the Orana Park Zoo in 1997, where he took part in Cheetah chases—he was in fact the second fastest cheetah at Orana Park.
He was not hand reared and is regarded as not being people friendly.
He came to the Hamilton Zoo in 2003 in exchange for their hand-reared male cheetah Mwandi.
After our cheetahs' arrival from South Africa in 2001, documentation subsequently received disclosed that Mwandi and Temba had the same mother and since the Hamilton Zoo intended to breed from them it was decided to exchange Mwandi for an unrelated male from Orana Park—Mwandi went to Orana Park and Kaitoa came to Hamilton Zoo.
Keepers have dragged a lure around Temba's enclosure with a ‘gator’ on several occasions, initially when Mwandi was still in Hamilton and both joined in the chase. Keepers continued the chases for Temba after Mwandi left for Orana Park and after Kaitoa was confined to his own enclosure.
Hamilton keepers have never attempted chases with Kaitoa—he is considered too dangerous to work with in the enclosure.
Orana Park uses a seperate enclosure (with a fast powerful winch at one end) adjacent to the cheetah enclosures (see photo below) and at no time are keepers in the enclosure with the animals. The photo was taken from the public viewing platform at the starting point of the chase.
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Keepers have dragged a lure around Temba's enclosure with a ‘gator’ on several occasions, initially when Mwandi was still in Hamilton and both joined in the chase. Keepers continued the chases for Temba after Mwandi left for Orana Park and after Kaitoa was confined to his own enclosure.
Hamilton keepers have never attempted chases with Kaitoa—he is considered too dangerous to work with in the enclosure.
Orana Park uses a seperate enclosure (with a fast powerful winch at one end) adjacent to the cheetah enclosures (see photo below) and at no time are keepers in the enclosure with the animals. The photo was taken from the public viewing platform at the starting point of the chase.
Click here to view all galleries
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