Nashville Zoo continues to support species worldwide and is involved in various international conservation efforts. Our Hospital Keepers participate in conservation work in Africa by joining Cheetah Conservation Fund on various conservation projects. Read the updates below.
Left: Hospital Keeper Courtney Blakey with three of the rescued cheetah cubs | Right: Medical supplies Courtney delivered to CCF
After a call from the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a trip of a lifetime began to take shape with one simple goal in mind: Help save four cheetah cubs.
In July, hospital keeper Courtney Blakey, traveled to Somaliland, a republic of Somalia, to help hand-rear four confiscated cheetah cubs. Blakey was in-country for three-and-a-half weeks supporting Dr. Laurie Marker, the founder and director of Cheetah Conservation Fund, after the organization received the confiscated cheetah cubs from the illegal wildlife trade. The cubs, about seven-to-10 days old, were the youngest the organization had ever received, demanding more support to help rehabilitate them.
In partnership with Cheetah Conservation Fund, an organization Nashville Zoo has supported for many years, Blakey was sent to help care for these cubs as a recommendation from Nashville Zoo’s Director of Animal Health Dr. Heather Schwartz. Her priority was to help rehabilitate the cubs and ensure they would thrive and grow into healthy adults after she left Somaliland.
On behalf of Nashville Zoo, not only did Blakey bring her hand-rearing expertise, but she also brought vital medical supplies and other important supplies to the veterinary office of the Somaliland CCF location to help with its ongoing animal care. She worked closely with the CCF team, teaching them new neonatal care techniques, and assisted with the rearing and weaning process of the four cubs. All four are alive, growing and thriving.
Left: Courtney and Dr. Laurie Marker feeding the cheetah cubs | Right: Two of the cubs having a snooze
A Once in a Lifetime Experience
While in Somaliland, Blakey oversaw the daily care of the four young cubs including feeding, cleaning, medicating when needed, making milk, and other aspects of their husbandry. As a testament to her experience hand-rearing big cats, she shared her skills with the CCF staff and helped refine their hand-rearing skills, helping advance their care at the organization.
Each day was different, as she helped support the organization in every facet. Between feeds, Blakey worked on multiple projects surrounding CCF’s record-keeping and organization. Her time at CCF was a rotation of daily tasks including laundry, cleaning, working with the cubs, and supporting the team wherever she could be helpful.
This trip provided a unique experience outside of hand-rearing tasks. Blakey was able to venture into the bush with the other keepers to help with carcass feeds for the adult cats, help socialize the juvenile cats that were also located at the clinic and assist in the butchery each week during carcass preparation.
Lastly, Blakey was able to monitor many important milestones for neonates including: ears becoming erect, cutting teeth, eyesight developing, increase in playing and practicing hunting skills, appropriate socialization with humans, weaning from milk onto meat, learning to defecate and urinate on their own, adding natural ‘furniture’ for them to start better exploring their world and learning how to become cheetahs.
“This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! The relationships I made with the people at CCF and the cubs will be with me for the rest of my life,” said Nashville Zoo Hospital Keeper Courtney Blakey. “It was incredible to watch the four cubs grow and thrive while I was in-country and am confident they will live a long life.”
The four rescued cheetah cubs taking a nap together
Conservation Saves Lives
At Nashville Zoo, we believe it is vital to work together to save cheetahs and other vulnerable species. The knowledge these in-situ projects possess about the natural behavior of cheetahs and other animals is priceless and helps move the needle in conservation efforts across the globe. These opportunities provide zoos with so much knowledge about natural diet, relationships, family groups, behavior, etc.
Nashville Zoo supports the Cheetah Conservation Fund financially every year as one of its conservation partners. This trip is important to the Zoo’s continued conservation efforts around the world as it helps Nashville Zoo solidify its professional relationship, networking, and devotion to assisting with in-situ conservation efforts around the world.
While zoos play a natural role in supporting these organizations with funds, sending supplies to remote areas, and helping educate the public in large numbers; We ALL play a vital role in the world we live in, working together is necessary to help save every species.
Collaborations between Zoos and other non-profits allow organizations, like CCF, to achieve their mission and make a broader impact in the realm of conservation. Our experienced staff is involved in research, habitat protection, breeding programs, and education initiatives around the globe and in our own backyard. For more information on Nashville Zoo’s conservation efforts and to donate, visit www.nashvillezoo.org/conservation.
Courtney and the team at the Cheetah Conservation Fund