The cheetah holds the title of the fastest animal in the world, reaching speeds of 112 kilometers per hour. These big cats can accelerate to 109 kilometers per hour in just three seconds. Therefore, staying as away as possible from cheetahs is highly recommended.
Zoo members from the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium are alerted by a terrifying event that occurred Thursday morning. According to eu.dispatch.com, a cheetah attacked a zookeeper.
No identity revealed
According to the zoo’s officials, no identity of the zookeeper was revealed due to reasons regarding privacy. The officials invoked the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
The incident happened in a non-public area when two staff members were walking a young cheetah female named Isabelle so that she’ll have her daily exercise. As a keeper from the region known as the Heart of Africa began to approach, the handlers of the cheetah invited the man to come closer, thinking that the animal won’t act aggressively. But the cheetah’s next move was to jump to the keeper.
Natural instinct activated
The most plausible scenario that explains the animal’s aggressive reaction is that the zookeeper had the scent of other animals on him. That likely triggered the cheetah’s predator instinct.
After the Zoo team members called the Liberty Township Fire Department, the injured keeper was transported to a hospital for evaluation. Fortunately, the keeper was evaluated and released.
Although in the past, cheetahs were widespread in African and Asian continents, the animals are now confined mostly to dry open grasslands of Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of cheetahs are inhabiting natural reserves or parks. Each of these big cats features between 2,000 and 3,000 spots used for camouflaging themselves.
