Cheetah

Description:

The cheetah has non-retractable claws and paw pads that disallow gripping, so they cannot climb vertical trees, although they are generally capable of reaching easily accessible branches. The cheetah has the fastest land speed of any living animal: 112-120 km/h (70-75 mph) in short bursts covering distances up to 500 m (1600 ft); this cat can accelerate from 0 to over 100 km/h (62 mph) in three seconds.

Habitat:

These cheetahs were at a lodge that rehabilitates orphaned and sick cats for release back into the wild. As they became adults, they are first released into an open area of the lodge's land, where they can learn to hunt. During the initial release, the lodge gives them supplemental food so that they are well fed as they learn to hunt.

Notes:

Thanks to Ashish to alerting us to the fact that today is the second International Cheetah Day declared by the Cheetah Conservation Fund. See: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-laurie-...