On Monday, 8/23, we lost our oldest ambassador cheetah, and one of the oldest cheetahs in the US, Chance. He had just celebrated his 17th birthday earlier this year, and lost his brother a few months ago. He passed away overnight.
Chance was best known as part of the dynamic duo of cheetah brothers Bravo & Chance. Both brothers came to Cincinnati Zoo when they were 6 months old from the De Wildt Breeding Center in South Africa. CAP program founder Cathryn Hilker met the brothers in Africa and hand-picked them from a group of 10(!). Chance was always the more outgoing cheetah, he enjoyed his brothers company but he also enjoyed time with his trainers. He was an active runner in the Cheetah Encounter until he and his brother chose the retired life and moved to the cheetah exhibit. While his brother Bravo was featured in the 2012 National Geographic footage of running cheetahs, Chance was not a fan of the camera set up and expressed his disinterest during trial runs.
In more recent years Chance has spent his retired days taking leisurely walks around the zoo before opening hours, getting groomed by his trainers and napping the day away. Even without his brother, Chance continued to maintain his daily routine, marking his territory and strategically choosing a spot for a daytime nap. He continued to delight visitors with his signature cat move- rolling in the grass.
Chance inspired audiences near and far throughout his 17 years of life. He helped us pioneer our Cheetah Encounter running program and taught his caregivers about the challenges and successes that comes with raising two male cheetahs together. Chance (and his brother Bravo) inspired a Native American story of the creation of the cheetah, The Running Wind Both brothers are featured in the film.
Click Here to watch the Film
Chance’s legacy lives on forever in the hearts and minds of his care teams and the audiences he touched from South Africa to Cincinnati. His loud purr echoes together with his brother now.
(Pictured Here with his Brother in the chute _ March 2021)