Attend 'Safari Soir

You may hear some very loud purrs on September 15 at the Fallbrook Golf Club, because that is when Zoofari, a Bonsall-based nonprofit organization, will be holding a Safari Soirée fundraiser starring Karoo, their newest Animal Ambassador.

“Cheetahs are highly endangered cats,” said Jackie Navarro, Zoofari founder. “We are so privileged to have him here; I never thought this would happen in a million years.”

The event will include a buffet dinner, live entertainment, wine-tasting, silent auction and raffle. Proceeds will benefit cheetah conservation efforts in Africa and also benefit Zoofari, which is also devoted to the conservation of endangered wildlife.

Zoofari is the nonprofit arm of Wild Wonders, created by Navarro in 1991. They actively support various research and conservation projects around the world and have taken their message as close to home as Bonsall and as far away as Africa. Zoofari is also dedicated to providing permanent homes for abandoned or displaced animals.

The Bonsall compound houses approximately one hundred diverse species that Navarro has dubbed “Animal Ambassadors.” This eclectic group of animals includes a binturong from Indonesia,and an African Serval cat, among others. The cold-blooded creatures range from domestic turtles to iguanas and alligators. At any given moment a variety of exotic sounds – hisses, shrieks and purrs – drift though the Bonsall air.

“None of the animals have been taken directly from the wild,” stressed Navarro. “Some have come from zoos and some are rescued animals or owner-relinquished ex-pets.”

Zoofari’s newest “ambassador,” Karoo, came to Wild Wonders from the Dewildt Cheetah Trust and Cheetah Outreach in South Africa. Still a cub, Karoo turned a year old on July 22. He arrived in Bonsall on May 31 of this year after being quarantined since May 10. Karoo was born in captivity, but for some reason the mother killed the rest of her litter, so the cub was pulled away. Karoo was hand-raised from the day he was born. While in Africa he had some surgeries on his eyes to correct a vision problem.

Navarro said that it is important to have a cheetah ambassador in order to highlight the distressing plight of cheetahs in Africa. She states, “Sadly, this magnificent animal is disappearing quickly from its home…but you can make a difference!” A tax-deductible contribution can help prevent this animal from vanishing forever.

Bonsall’s resident cheetah is “King of the Hill” and loves his hilltop enclosure. This happy cat emitted a deep and throaty purr while rubbing his chin on the cage.

Karoo is “in school right now,” said Navarro, and is undergoing “rigid socialization training,” spending many hours a day with his four primary trainers. The trainers take him for walks on the compound and rides in a car and expose him to television.

“Spending time with large groups of people will be his job now that he is an ambassador,” said Navarro. The training will ensure that Karoo will feel comfortable when in a crowd. “He has adjusted really well and is a happy cat. He is easygoing and wonderful to work with.”

Cheetahs are the fastest land mammals and can reach speeds of 75 mph but can’t continue the pace very long. As I watched Karoo chase a lure around the enclosure I was impressed by his speed and agility but noticed that he was out of breath and panting soon afterward.

The big cats are the sprinters of the animal kingdom. Due to the fact that they are out of breath after a run they are vulnerable to attack from predators. “It is flight rather than fight,” said Navarro. “Hyenas pick on them, lions and leopards kill their cubs and they are chased off their own kills by lions.”

“Out of all the cats in Africa, cheetahs are having the toughest time,” Navarro said. “They are disappearing for three reasons: habitat destruction, predators and human conflict.”

The human-cheetah conflict is of great concern to conservationists. Because cheetahs are one of the few cats that are diurnal hunters (as opposed to nocturnal) they are seen more by humans.

They are also misunderstood. The owners of private hunting ranches blame cheetahs for killing livestock and game; thus, the animals are shot or trapped and killed. “They are picked on by everybody,” Navarro lamented.

“We are hoping that by having [Karoo] here, that once you hear the rumble of that purr and meet this magnificent animal up close and get to look into his eyes, it will really inspire people to want to help cheetahs in the wild,” said Navarro.

Karoo purrs and bats a plastic bottle like a cat would play with a toy mouse. He also has a cow bone that he chews on and scoots around the cage. When the bone gets dirty, Karoo drops it in his water bowl to wash it off.

A sleek cat with a long striped tail and spotted coat, Karoo seemed to like being petted and his fur was a bit coarse to the touch. His liquid brown eyes had a faraway look to them, like he was listening to something I couldn’t hear. He has black teardrop-like markings under his eyes that, according to Navarro, serve the same glare-cutting purpose as greasepaint smudged underneath a football player’s eyes. I didn’t hear him do anything but pant and purr, but I was told that cheetahs don’t roar but make a chirping sound almost like a bird.

The world needs visionaries like Jackie Navarro to effect change in the grievously diminishing world of wildlife. Navarro and her staff are striving to change the world’s perception of wildlife. “If we can get one child or one adult excited about conservation of wildlife,” she says, “we have achieved our goal.” And Karoo will do his job too, stealing the hearts of those who meet him!

Zoofari Safari Soirée

Fallbrook Golf Club

2757 Gird Road

Fallbrook

Saturday, Sept. 15

5 to 9 p.m.

http://www.wildwonders.org

Call (760) 630-9230 for tickets