Fossil Rim establishes Cheetah Conservancy. (News from Zoos).

The Robert B. Haas Cheetah Conservancy will open at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in the fall of 2002. The new conservancy includes seven pens, five of which will be used for public display and two for expectant females, in addition to a modern food preparation facility. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association's (AZA) Cheetah Species Survival Plan[R] (SSP) deemed the immediate construction of the conservancy vital to the long-term success of the captive cheetah population.

Funded by a generous challenge grant from the Robert Hass Family Philanthropic Fund of $2 for every $1 raised by Fossil Rim, the $300,000 conservancy will provide Fossil Rim the opportunity to significantly increase the North American captive cheetah population by instituting propagation techniques proven to be successful. Allowing the public a view of the conservancy provides Fossil Rim the opportunity to exhibit cheetahs in spacious, natural environments in an effort to raise awareness for the need to support conservation efforts in captivity and in the wild. [Source: AZA Communique]