TUTTLE, Okla. — Seventeen people from Tuttle’s exotic animal sanctuary will be heading to South Africa in a few weeks.

The travelers - 14 Tiger Safari staff members and three area veterinarians who regularly donate their time to the facility - will visit the Savannah Cheetah Foundation in an effort to help preserve the endangered species.

Only a few thousand cheetahs remain in the world, in captivity or otherwise. Tiger Safari park director Bill Meadows learned more about the animal’s plight during a recent convention, where he heard a presentation by Bobby Hartslief, the founder of the Savannah Cheetah Foundation. The foundation, a cheetah breeding facility, is located an hour and a half south of Johannesburg.

The team from Tiger Safari will leave May 2 to work on different projects at the foundation, including building habitats for the animals and working on waterways. Weekends, Meadows said, will be dedicated to seeing other exotic animal-related sites in South Africa, including Kruger National Park, a park for elephants and one for lions.

The veterinarians who will accompany the Tiger Safari staff are J.T. Walker, from the University Animal Hospital in Norman, Patty Maneff from Maneff Veterinary Services in Newcastle and Kimberly Weiss from Southside Dog, Cat and Bird Clinic in Oklahoma City.

“All three of the veterinarians are sponsors of the park,” Meadows said. “They donate their time towards the animals. We just pay toward any drugs or supplies that are needed.”

The group from Tiger Safari is scheduled to return home on May 14. While they are in South Africa, the sanctuary will be closed.

Meadows said that with so few cheetahs in the world, smaller zoos and sanctuaries usually cannot obtain one. He hopes that with the education his group obtains during the trip, they will be best suited to care for a cheetah if the chance ever arises.



Regina Garvie writes for Tuttle (Okla.) Times.