What an exciting event! Last night we attended Animal Ark's Cheetah Run 2007. In my mind, I knew that cheetahs often get themselves up to 60-65 mph when running short distances, but my camera eye had no friggin' clue how fast that really was! haha. They ran 3 cheetahs last night, and each run in one direction (they ran each in 2 directions) lasted about 15-16 seconds. And they didn't just run in a straight line. If you could picture a straight-line drawing of a boot, that's pretty much the patten they followed, including sharp turns. According to the owners of the Ark, that's 16 seconds to run 200 yards, and let me tell you, no matter how "prepared" I was with my camera, there was absolutely NO way I could keep my lens on that cat the entire time. I have LOTS of photos of plain ol' dust where a cheetah had just been a fraction of a second earlier.

Why do they run the cheetahs? Because they've found that it is much healthier for them, when living in captivity, to run like they would in nature, chasing their prey. Cheetahs are notorious for contracting gastrointestinal diseases when in captivity, but Animal Ark has never had any problems with their cheetahs, and they credit it, in part, to the cheetah runs that they do once a week. They put the "prey" in a plastic bag and attach it to a pulley system that zips it along while the cheetah chases. At the end, the cheetah is given fresh meat (not whatever's in the plastic bag) as its reward. What an incredible thing to watch!

The Animal Ark opens up their cheetah run once a month for the outside public to witness. I guarantee you Jeremy and I will attend this event again. Last night's was a big to-do .. it was a cheetah run and a falcon fly (which was impressive, but falconry doesn't, just on its own merits, make much sense to me), a catered dinner and silent auction. For those unaware, Jeremy and I are members of Animal Ark and also have "adopted" some of the animals there, as well (basically we send them money and they send us a certificate of adoption :) ). We discovered Animal Ark in July, when Jeremy's sister and her kids were visiting, and we loved what they do. We've been back to visit a few times since. If you're ever going to be in this area, let us know! We'd love to share it with you, and even better if you'll be here during one of the cheetah runs! For more info on the Ark: www.animalark.org

This weekend, Jeremy and I discovered a wildlife refuge right in our back yard! Well, kinda. It's in north Reno, but close enough. It's called Animal Ark, and they rescue wild animals (primarily predators) who are unable, for whatever reason, to remain in the wild. What an incredible place! Every animal there has a story. From the tigers who were destined to be tv stars (but didn't make the cut) to wild animals who were taken in by humans and raised as "pets" and then somehow escaped or were abandoned (or in some cases, abused by their "owners"), to wildlife that was found hurt or abandoned (in the specific case of the baby coyote, who was one of two babies found without a mother, by a local rancher), to a small black bear who tried, but just couldn't make it out in the wild. The stories are great, and the hearts of these people who are caring for these animals in such a generous manner, are greater. They strive to make sure these animals have as natural a habitat as possible, to the extent of arranging for the cheetahs to go on long runs, chasing after "prey" being towed by a high-power winch, in order to ensure maximum digestive and emotional health and well-being.

To read about some of the other animals' stories or find out more information about this unique refuge, please see animalark.org.