Wild things

AMANDA TIFFIN IS Wellington Zoo’s life science manager and one of eight cheetah keepers who interacts and cares for three male cats, Charlie, ten, and fiveyear- old brothers Canjo and Kunjuka.

Their happy hum takes her back to the first time she set eyes on a cat of such power, in Cape Town’s Cheetah Outreach wildlife park in South Africa, where she emigrated from in 1994.

“They have an amazing purr and it’s the most soothing sound to hear a content cheetah,” she says. “When you put your hand on their chest you can feel them vibrating.”
Putting complete trust in an animal of such size and strength isn’t for everyone. Amanda is aware natural instincts could kick in if they become frightened and she’s trained to read their behaviour.

“When keepers enter the enclosure they’ll come over for attention and a head rub,” she says. “But we still have a very high level of respect for the animals because they are wild. They’re going to respond to things in a natural way and you must never get complacent.”

It took time to bond with the animals. Interactions between Amanda and the cheetahs initially took place in a controlled environment with someone the cats knew and trusted well before they could spend one-on-one time together – a process Amanda is proud to have accomplished.

“Animals understand body language and what you present to them is what they’ll read,” she says.

“Just like any other cat, cheetahs respond to how you act around them. It’s the best feeling once you’re accepted by a cat.”

Amanda takes small groups of enthusiasts on close encounters, allowing visitors to connect with the animals up close . A portion of funds generated by Wellington Zoo’s Cheetah Encounters is contributed to the Anatolian Guard Dog project which gives African farmers trained shepherd dogs to chase away cheetahs and other predators before they attack stock