Volunteering at Cheetah Experience in South Africa, I befriended Gabe, the most affectionate cat (wild or domesticated) I've ever met. He l...
Volunteering at Cheetah Experience in South Africa, I befriended Gabe, the most affectionate cat (wild or domesticated) I've ever met. He loves giving affection more than receiving it, but it's PAINFUL. Being a friend of Gabe hurts; his whole body is a weapon, from head to toe. There is no other way to describe my relationship with him... I was loved by a Cheetah.nnThis cheetah was hand raised and quite tame and I was able to Completely earn his trust, and he mine, but there are always risks working with wild animals. The only injury I got the entire time I knew him were dew claws to the forehead, that and his scalp grooming which is like rubbing sandpaper on it; making it RAW! I was still picking scabs off my scalp 4 days after I left.nnIn these clips, I was saying goodbye and he was saying hello. You'll see him climbing on my chest and grooming me (his favorite thing to do). All I had to do was lay in front of him and he'd get up off his lazy @ss and sit on me. Smothering you in love. Purring the entire time. Absolutely Adorable. It was an Honor being accepted as a family member by his grooming. Now I know what prey animals see just before they die in the jaws of Cheetahs.nnHe purrs almost constantly; a VERY contented cat. He purrs so much that his throat gets soar. I hear it squeak after awhile.n nHe loves to stalk, grab, nibble, and bite which scares most volunteers, but he never bites hard. They call him badboy Gabe, but he's just misunderstood. (That's always a good excuse for bad behavior ;) It's understandably risky allowing him to do it. There's nothing but your trust preventing him from snipping your nose or fingers right off at 450PSI. But it's amazing to me how he knows to measure his bites, either when hand feeding him, biting my nose, or even when getting upset. No one taught him that. I think it's instinctive.nnGabriel has no idea how cool he is. I'm betting he thinks the very same thing about me. We were great friends. I gave him all the right reasons to like me. Hand fed him, played with him, walked him, wrestled with him, pet him, relaxed with him, let him do what he wanted, and even slept next to him inside his enclose (which was a bed inside the owners home:) I never corrected him when ornery, just walked away. Never forced him to do anything; only asked. Left him alone when he tired of me. He really liked me and I trusted him 100% no matter what he did. I'm just glad we met. He unexpectedly fulfilled a lifelong dream.nnIt helped that Gabriel likes men. I was told that the 1st day. Some females prefer women (most were raised by woman). Was warned to leave the ambassador females alone as they disliked men, but one warmed up to me after seeing Gabe and I bond. Read later that male bachelor Cheetahs are social in the wild and form coalitions with other male Cheetahs to establish territories and hunt together. Females are solitary. I think that is why Gabe likes men so much. He sees men as male Cheetahs and wants to bond. Its instinctive. Whatever the reason, he warmed up to me quickly (Days).nnDiscovered unlike the lions, Cheetahs raised by humans are more willing to accept strangers. Most hand raised cheetahs purr before people; accepting them. Those that don't simply keep their distance. The wild ones were the same, keeping away.nnThese Cheetahs will look you in your eyes, remember your face, your persona, scent, and voice. They also give you warnings when they've had enough. We're told not to wear glasses so they can read and communicate with you. When they want left alone, they give you a motionless, purrless, eye piercing stare for about 2 seconds; telling you to back off or get swatted. It was my 1st time encountering Cheetahs so I learned the hard way. Two seconds is not much time to learn a warning.nnThe animals there truly live charmed lives. Many are spoiled. Everything is provided for them so their true personalities show through. Human contact is part of their program. Direct human enrichment prevents stereotypical mental behaviors typically seen in zoos. Animal husbandry exercises help in handling, diagnosis, treatment, and reproductive care for these animals as well providing better mental and physical stimulation. It's the next best thing from being truly wild and free, but in some ways better. These animals are exceptionally cared for. And for animal lovers, it's remarkably rewarding.nnWorking there was the most memorable experience of my life. There's no describing in words the feeling of having an endangered Cheetah bond with you like this. Hearing and feeling the vibrations of a Cheetah purr is an amazing experience.nnOn a personal note, I've always been self conscious about my big nose - I hate it. But I encountered a Cheetah in this world named Gabriel who just Loves it. It hurt saying goodbye - in many ways. My nose sure knows :)nn"Feeding The World--- One Animal At A Time" Dolph C. Volker Less
