This is Ruuxa, a beautiful cheetah, that is resting after having completed a little 70 mph jog. Ruuxa's story is an amazing one, having been abandoned by his mother at birth, and suffering a birth defect that had the vets wondering if he would even walk properly, let alone run at 70 to 75 mph. For an inspiring story about Ruuxa and his best friend, Raina, the dog, check out this link: http://www.ilovedogsandpuppies.com/dog-cheetah-met-babies-just-wait-see-now-2/
By the way, one of Ruuxa's handlers is 365's own Kristyn, who no longer posts here, but I did have the pleasure of meeting her and introducing myself. She assisted me in getting positioned to get some good action shots. Thanks Kristyn! We miss you!
Lucky you, getting to be purrfectly up close to this beautiful cat. Excellent photo of this feline. I'm lovin' those black lines that run around his nose.
Such a beautiful face! I loved the story of the the cheetah and the dog! I hope that continues as the cheetah gets older and bigger. Lovely seeing them both running! Fav!
He's wonderful, your photo is terrific. In the mid 70's I took my son and niece to the San Diego Zoo, it was world class then, I can only imagine how fabulous it is now. I love happy endings.
In a moment I knew where you photographed this, and that you'd no doubt met Kristin! That's just fabulous! What an exquisite animal, and such a heart-warming story! I's love to spend more time at the SD zoo, but the SB zoo is do-able in a day, and I did get to go 3 times last week... Yah, happy about that!
@lyndemc My late grandfather, master of the horrible pun, would approve of your sly words. ;-) Actually I wasn't all that close to Ruuxa, but the terribly expensive fancy zoom lens, using a 2X adapter, allowed me to get an reasonably clear shot using a 300mm focal length. I did have the good fortune to be well positioned (having paid a little fee for priority seating), and I think that my having interacted with Kristyn provided an extra special opportunity. Good to know people in high places! Thanks for your kind comments as always.
@redy4et Thanks Elizabeth. Wow, it must be so cool to see them in a natural habitat. The handlers had some sad stories about how fast they are disappearing in the wild because people freak out at the site of them and simply kill them. Sad, because they are such naturally beautiful animals. I appreciate you coming by to view and comment!
@pamknowler Thanks Pam, yes, a great story. We were lucky enough to see Raina make the run first, and soon after Ruuxa made the same dash, though at a much quicker space. Glad you enjoyed the story and thanks for the great comments.
@jorlam And thanks to you too Jorlam. As I explained to Denise above, I was a fair distance away, but the expenditure on the lens paid off in this case. I was quite pleased with the quality that it was able to capture.
@onewing Thank you kindly Babs. I'm glad you took the time to click on the link. I love that story. In the future I hope to get back and capture a straight-on image of the cheetah run - using the big lens!
@louannwarren Thank you muchly Lou Ann. The San Diego Zoo is just the best! However, this is the Wild Animal Park, which is part of, but physically separated from the zoo itself. Much more spread out, and much more interaction with the animals, but not the quantity of residents. It's a combination refuge/zoo/rehabilitation facility. Very well done by some very good folks. Hope you can get to one or both soon.
@Weezilou I knew you'd be familiar with that vantage point. Kristyn was very nice and I think there might have been a little extra time spent allowing the "VIPs" (and me) to get some shots of Ruuxa. You and the camera(s) were quite active at the SB zoo I see! Some great shots!
thanks for the link to Ruuxa's story..