Four months have passed since three Cheetah arrived at Tama Zoo from an American zoo.


A scene of checking a transport box containing Cheetah at the airport.
When a new animal is brought into a zoo, it undergoes quarantine to check for diseases. Quarantine is a system and procedure to prevent the entry and spread of animal diseases. Newly arrived animals are isolated for a certain period, and samples are taken from their blood and feces to check for diseases. During quarantine, staff members wear special white coats and change into rubber boots to prevent the transmission of diseases to other animals through people.

This time, the tests for two of the three dogs, Kevin (male) and Damian (male), were completed without any problems, but antibodies to Crested Ibis were detected in the remaining dog, Bastet (female). The presence of antibodies means that she has either had the infection before or is currently infected.

Crested Ibis is a type of parasite that can infect humans and is a zoonotic disease. Therefore, Bastet's quarantine period was extended, and medication to eliminate Crested Ibis was administered by mixing it into the horse meat and chicks that were to be fed to Cheetah. After the medication was completed, a re-examination was conducted, and since Crested Ibis was not found, Bastet was able to complete her quarantine without any problems.

After the quarantine period ended, we began practicing letting them out into their enclosures. Kevin and Damian seemed calm and spent their time exploring once they were out. However, when it was time to bring them back inside and we opened the door to their enclosure, they showed no sign of moving, and 10, 20 minutes passed... Both of them stood in front of the glass, looking outwards, and showed no sign of looking at the door. So we put a board over the glass so they couldn't see outside, and only then did they finally come inside.


Left: Damian, Right: Kevin
Bastet was released into the large enclosure and seemed calm, but she was very wary of people. When it came time to bring her in, she wouldn't come near the door if there were people nearby, so we had a hard time getting her in unless we stood in a position where she couldn't be seen from the door and made ourselves invisible.


Bastet sits and stares at us.
All three animals have now gotten used to their enclosure and will go inside as soon as the door is opened. However, Bastet still makes loud noises and threatens people whenever they approach, and Kevin and Damian still fight over the meat even when it's divided into individual portions.

These Cheetah each have their own unique personalities, so please keep an eye on their future lives at Tama Zoo.

[Tama Zoo, Tama Zoological Park]

(June 30, 2023)