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Ambassador Program Inspiring Future Conservationists
Our Cat Ambassador Program team introduced the newest members of our cheetah ambassador team, Zola and Lulu, on International Cheetah Day. They have already captured the hearts of the millions of people who follow @CincinnatiZoo on social media and will soon inspire visitors in person. Visitors may see a third cub if the ambassador team brings them to a public space in the next month or so.
Zola and Lulu’s littermate will be heading to another zoo in a few weeks after all three cubs have received their final vaccinations. Until then, they are being hand-raised together in our neonate center. The third cub will most likely be paired with a puppy companion when she reaches her new home. That information, as well as the cub’s name, will be eventually shared by the AZA-accredited Zoo that’s eagerly awaiting her arrival.
Many of the Zoo’s followers have asked about the cubs’ mom. She is at our off-site facility and is doing well. If selected to breed again by the Cheetah SSP, her next litter is likely to be raised by her, depending on litter size and SSP population management considerations.
The Cheetah SSP approved our plan for this litter to be hand-raised so the cubs could join ambassador programs that inspire millions of people a year. Most ambassador animals are hand-raised in order to establish the necessary bonds and trust with keepers. They receive exceptional health and nutritional care, as well as behavioral and social activities in the nursery.
Cheetahs in Cincinnati Zoo’s Cat Ambassador Program have been educating and amazing guests for decades. Our hope is that the awe and amazement of witnessing these remarkable animals running up to 70 miles an hour will inspire people to help save wildlife and wild spaces.
Cincinnati Zoo is also working to help this endangered species by supporting many programs that help cheetahs in their native ranges in Africa. One such program, Cheetah Outreach, works with local communities to ensure the survival of the species. More information on programs we support can be found here – Saving Wildlife | Cincinnati Zoo.
You can follow Zola and Lulu’s journey to becoming ambassadors on all of Cincinnati Zoo’s social media channels. You may catch a glimpse of their littermate while she is here and are sure to learn more about her future adventures when she arrives in her new home.
