Busch Gardens Fans Are Invited to Name Baby Cheetah (and New Puppy Pal) Using Facebook Poll
Just a month after Busch Gardens took in a cheetah cub whose mother wasn’t caring for it, the park’s animal care team has identified the perfect four-legged friend for the 8-week-old cat: a 16-week old female yellow Labrador puppy.
The two were first introduced this past weekend and have been spending playtime together each day.
Eventually, the pair will live together and even travel together, helping the park’s education team teaching the public about the plight of cheetahs in the wild and the importance of Busch Gardens’ conservation efforts.
While this is Busch Gardens’ first cub-and-puppy combo, it's not uncommon in the zoo community for a single cheetah to be raised with a canine companion.
How Can You VOTE TO NAME the Baby Cheetah?
Starting today (a little later this morning, 4/14/11), you can “Like” the Busch Gardens Facebook page and on the page wall, find two separate polls -- one for the cheetah's name, and one for the puppy's name.
Vote by clicking on your favorite names in each poll. Our animal care team has chosen four names -- three of Swahili origin, and one of Sanskrit, for you to choose your favorite from.
The polls will close at noon on Monday, April 18. The winning names will be announced that afternoon.
Cheetahs are included on both the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of vulnerable species as well as on the US Endangered Species Act list of threatened species. Only approximately 12,400 cheetahs remain in the wild. Busch Gardens supports the conservation of and education about cheetahs through the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, which has donated nearly $100,000 to cheetah efforts in Africa since 2005 and also helps fund conservation programs for white rhinos, marine animals and many other species around the world.
