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Above: When the mother of two cheetah cubs is killed, a veteran filmmaker becomes their new parent. Pictured: Toki and Simon King.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Above: Interview with Filmmaker Simon King: NATURE goes behind the scenes of "The Cheetah Orphans" in an interview with filmmaker Simon King. Pictured: Toki and Simon King.
Veteran wildlife filmmaker Simon King takes on a new role in "The Cheetah Orphans" — that of surrogate mother. After their cheetah mother is killed by a lion, Simon assumes the parenting responsibilities for the cubs, Toki and Sambu — a life changing experience that Simon describes as “privileged, humbling and enriching.”
Hand-rearing the brothers, teaching them the life skills cheetahs need to survive, and observing the cubs as they pass through key stages of their development, Simon’s efforts to rehabilitate the cheetahs and reintroduce them to the world of wild cheetahs is filled with delight but also sadness.
Simon becomes more deeply attached to the orphans, making difficult, yet critical decisions that determine their fate. When tragedy strikes, Simon is overcome with emotion, but has to make clear decisions for the welfare of Toki.
Story Update:
The latest information we have on Toki comes from the website of Ol Pejeta Conservancy, dated November 24, 2008. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy would like to announce to Toki fans, that their favourite “celebrity” cheetah is doing well in his secure, 1,700 acre haven within the conservancy. Predator expert, Stephen Saipan, regularly monitors Toki and reports that he continues to live a natural & peaceful life, hunting impala’s and Thompson’s gazelles, skillfully fending for himself.
The only set back for Toki in the past couple of years was a minor operation on his ear, to remove a small swelling that appeared on its tip. The swelling was examined and tested and returned no threatening results. Toki has since fully recovered from the operation. Efforts to find him a mate are still underway, with future plans of establishing a cheetah breeding programme on the conservancy.
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