Safari park trains big #cats to pose for portraits with visitors

• 2 May 2015
• By Chris Gee

The two male and two female big cats from a safari park are apparently tame enough to sit alongside families 

 

Cheetah portraits: A group poses with the friendly big cat

Meet the cheetahs who have learned pose for a living.
Those visiting Safari West Animal Park in Santa Rosa, California, get the chance to have their pictures taken with a choice of four different cheetahs - two females and two males.
The two females were raised by the park since they were tiny kittens.
Both females were trained to sit and pose for "cheetah portraits".
When they are taken out of their cages, they have two leashes with two professional trainers and a spotter.
The cheetah portraits are taken at 8am before the regular guests arrive for their tours of the wildlife preserve .
They do not like to keep the ladies out too long. Thula and her twin sister, Gijima are still "working" but on a limited basis.
Both female cheetahs are approximately 10-years-old and are rewrded for their modelling work with specially prepared meals.

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