News and Stories

We’re so sad to deliver the news that cheetah Tommy T, who recently turned 16, was humanely euthanized due to declining health. He lived a great and long life, years past the median life expectancy, and was loved by so many.  He is famous for making the cover of NatGeo Magazine in 2012 and was a beautiful ambassador for his species.

Tommy T was the first ambassador cheetah born at the Mast Farm, named after the head of our Mast Farm keeper Tom T. Right from the start, Tommy T was a special cheetah. His father, Wild Boy, was one of the 10 non-releasable Namibian cheetahs gifted from the Namibian government to the United States in 2001.  It was an act of global collaboration for cheetah conservation to help the American cheetah population increase their genetics and the Cincinnati Zoo received 4 of the 10 cheetahs.

In his 16 years of life, Tommy T was a model ambassador and a champion of cheetah conservation, educating and inspiring visitors across Cincinnati and beyond in person and virtually.  Tommy T was always an online sensation, appearing in many of the zoos YouTube channel videos as we documented his training from his early years while in the Nursery, meeting his puppy  buddy Pow Wow, his first run on the lure machine, and his first public run in the original Cheetah Encounter yard.

Tommy T took his celebrity status with patience and grace. He was always a charismatic and loving cheetah. While many cheetahs are shy and tentative with new people, Tommy T was outgoing and interested in new people and new spaces. He was known for his very loud purr and constant grooming of his animal care team- long time favorite trainers, new hires, interns, etc- everyone would get a purr and a lick from Tommy T. Tommy T rarely played favorites, he welcomed the grooming and attention from everyone and he was often the first cheetah new Cat Ambassador Program (CAP) trainers learned to work with because of his calm and easy going nature.

Tommy T came into the Cat Ambassador Program when we needed him the most, the year after the opening of the Cheetah Encounter running field. He was a constant in the Encounter until his retirement in 2021, when he moved to the Cheetah Exhibit. In addition to the Cheetah Encounter, Tommy T also educated and inspired audiences through school programs, community events and education programs at the zoo. But Tommy T is best known for his role in the 2012 National Geographic Magazine collaboration.  The 2012 photo and video shoot were a massive undertaking, coordinating various National Geographic and Cincinnati Zoo staff to get the perfect shot of a running cheetah.

The result was spectacular- a cheetah (Tommy T) running in high definition and slow motion for the first time. While that project was completed over 10 years ago now, that footage to this day is still used to show the athleticism of a cheetah running at full speed in education videos, museum exhibits and beyond! If you have never seen the footage, take a moment to enjoy the beauty and grace of a running cheetah.

In addition to the video footage, Tommy T appeared on the cover of the November 2012 issue of National Geographic and a special 4-page fold out insert inside the magazine. That poster has been displayed by cheetah lovers across the globe- from Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia to cheetah keeper spaces in zoos around the US.  The impact of the video and photos are immeasurable, and our hope is that the footage and image continue to educate and inspire current and future generations of cheetah lovers and conservationists.

In his retirement, Tommy T still enjoyed all the cheetah things; bones, meat treats, walks around the zoo before opening and he was still spry enough to chase squirrels and ducks that no doubt underestimated his stealth and speed, even in his elder years!  He was a great teacher in so many ways, both for all his care staff over the years and for the public that loved him, in person and online.

Most big male cheetahs are fortunate to live 8-10 years. At 16, Tommy T surpassed that life expectancy, and we were so lucky to have that extra time with him. His loud purrs will forever echo the halls of the Cat Ambassador Program.