VIDEO. Near Toulouse, you can see cheetahs running at more than 100 km/h
By Philip Salvador
Published on
“At this place, we are no longer in Plaisance-du-Touch, but in the middle of the savannah, closer to the cheetahs”, enthuses Coralie Scozzaro, communication manager of the zoo African safariclose to Toulouse. This is located on the glass walkway overlooking the 3800 m² enclosure where five cheetahs live. Sheldon, Howard, Rajesh and Leonard are 5 years old and come from a Swedish zoo. Popie, the 6-year-old female, was born at the Peaugres zoo, near Lyon. Solitary, she always stays away from males.
The beasts attacking the lure
These magnificent animals, weighing about forty kilos, are the fastest in the world. In nature, they move at 90 km/h on average and up to 115 km/h. A top speed that they can now reach at the Plaisance-du-Touch zoo, in front of the astonished eyes of the public. A semi-buried and radio-controlled lure system has just been installed. ” It acts like bait. The cheetah gets into a hunting position and sets off in pursuit,” says Coralie Scozzaro.
Maintain the natural instinct of animals
Equipped with her remote control, Charlotte Nore, the training manager, varies the speed of the machine. “I titillate the big cats, I stimulate them, I make them go and go again. They are very receptive and really like this lure“. She adds that the latter should not be used every day: “Cheetahs are like cats, they get tired quickly. Still, this hunting simulation, like a game, confirms the animals’ natural instincts. A workout that also has medical benefits…
“We make them do exercises, which then allow us to examine them, take blood tests or ultrasounds, without anesthetizing them”
A well-protected veterinarian
Sylvie Clavel can thus ask the beasts to lie down on their side, to lie down or to stand up. ” And the animal is happy to lend itself to the game“, she specifies. However, protected by fences, the specialist only approaches cheetahs, “which remain animals with a wild temperament”.
Another characteristic of the species: it is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. There are only 6,700 specimens left in the wild. The managers of the Plaisance-du-Touch zoo hope that theirs will reproduce. And that these cheetahs can be reintroduced into their natural environment.
Visitors to the African Safari zoo in Plaisance-du-Touch will be able to watch the cheetah race, from Saturday July 9, every weekend and Wednesday, at 11:30 a.m., in July and August.
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