FOUR BIG CATS, TWO DOGS, ONE HUMAN

Video posted to YouTube by silverlake159

“A mostly feline home! Sounds purrrrfect to me…”

Gypsy photo courtesy of KarenFayeth.

… and sounds purrrrfect to the cats’ best friend as reported by the video poster:

Riana Van Nieuwenhuizen, the sanctuary worker shares her South African home with not one but FOUR orphaned cheetahs, five lions and two tigers.
Forty-six-year-old Riana said: I love them all. But they’re a handful.

Riana bought her first cheetah, Fiela, in 2006. After realising the big cats were in trouble and heading for extinction with only one thousand left in Africa, she left her full-time job working for the Department of Justice – a position she had held for twenty-two years – and found temporary employment on a game ranch where she could raise her beloved big cat.

But Rianas real dream was fully realised after she set up the not-for-profit Fiela Funds Cheetah Breeding Project in South Africa to ensure the long-term survival of the cheetah and their ecosystem. The project spreads over a hectare of land and visitors can meet Fiela and the other cats and even have their pictures taken. If you want to outdo your friends in the wedding photo stakes, the project also offers newly weds the chance to be snapped cuddling up to a big cat.

The cats in Rianas’ own home are truly part of the family and are allowed to roam freely. They make it known when they are hungry, even jumping up onto work surfaces in an attempt to snatch a bite of whatever is going. Luckily Rianas two dogs aren’t on the menu but instead romp with the cats and even snuggle down with them for a snooze. silverlake159

Link HERE to Natioanl Geographic Kids, Cheetah Facts and Pictures.