CINCINNATI – Happy birthday, Chance and Bravo!
According to WLWT, two cheetah brothers at Ohio’s Cincinnati Zoo celebrated their 17th birthday Monday – well beyond the big cats’ usual 10- to 12-year life span.
“We believe Chance and Bravo are the oldest cheetahs in the U.S. and possibly the world!” the zoo wrote in a Facebook post about the pair, who were born in South Africa. “Their longevity can be attributed to the special geriatric enrichment, diet and TLC that they have received from their care team.”
The brothers, who were 6 months old when they first arrived at the zoo, can often be seen in the African exhibit yard, WLWT reported.
The zoo added that cheetahs like Bravo and Chance are endangered. In 2016, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences estimated that about 7,100 cheetahs live in the wild worldwide.
