12×18 colored pencil done on “Artagain” paper. Original unavailable, in a private collection in Georgia. Photographic reference from L. Weitzman. As of 05-01-12, 630 views and 7 favorited.

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For those of you who don’t know what this cat is, it’s a King Cheetah.. born in a preserve in Africa. I’m lucky enough to know the person who took the picture. She had the opportunity to not only photograph the cat, but to touch him too… the act of which has left an indelible mark on her soul.
At one point, there were three King cheetahs in zoos in the US, one each in Cincinnati, St. Louis and San Diego.

The King Cheetah (also known as Cooper’s), once thought to be a separate sub-species, is an African Cheetah exhibiting a rare fur pattern mutation. A recessive gene must be inherited from both parents in order for this “blotchy” pattern to appear. First discovered in Zimbabwe in 1926, this very rare animal has been seen in the wild only 6 times. It has been known to exist in Zimbabwe, Botswana and in the northern part of South Africa’s Transvaal province. The DeWildt Cheetah Research Centre in South Africa specializes in breeding this cat in captivity. (info from cheetahspot.com)

• Complete 10-14-2004 in 5.48 hours spread over 5 days