News and Stories

On October 28, our beloved cheetah Tommy T turns 16 years old! While this is a milestone in any human’s life (getting your driver’s license, having a “sweet sixteen,” etc.) this is also a big deal for Tom. Cheetahs in Africa generally have a lifespan of about 10 years, so Tommy making it into his upper teens is especially impressive. He is celebrating his birthday with a special cake made by his keepers and a super awesome hot rod car made by our incredibly talented Volunteer Enrichment Team!

Tom came to the Cincinnati Zoo as a tiny cub and was named after one of our keepers at the zoo’s Mast Farm! Because he was on his own, Tommy was paired with a puppy named Pow Wow, and the two grew and played together much like siblings do. If you want to learn more information about the cool relationship between cheetahs and their companion dogs, check out this other blog post by one of the other trainers: A Cat’s Best Friend. The best way to tell Tommy apart from our other cheetahs is by his signature “snaggletooth” smile, when his upper lip catches on his upper canine tooth. He has been enjoying his retirement in many ways- from taking walks before the zoo opens, getting attention from his keepers in the habitat yard, and most importantly, laying around soaking up the sun!

Tommy had a long running career here at the zoo, and even had quite a few incredible opportunities. Aside from running in our on-grounds cheetah encounters, Tom also became the focal subject for our partnership with National Geographic, becoming the “centerfold” poster in a 2012 issue. National Geographic was trying to capture slow-motion footage of a cheetah running, and Tom ran perfectly so that they could capture the incredible footage they did. If you want to see the footage from that incredible shoot, watch this video to learn more: National Geographic Cheetah Footage. Tom has also been a part of many other on-grounds programs, and one of my favorites was when he met the US Men’s National Soccer Team!

When I first started here at the Cat Ambassador Program way back in 2016 as a volunteer, I knew Tom would be special to me. While I loved all of the animals, Tom has always held a huge part of my heart, especially with his loud and constant purrs! Taking care of him over the years and getting to be a part of his life is something I will never take for granted. Our team loves working with him so much that a few of us even have him tattooed on us! We’re excited to get to spend this special day with him. Here’s to Tommy T and his 16th birthday!

If you stop by the cheetah habitat on October 28, be sure to tell our boy Tommy T happy birthday!