Who Are The Heroes?

They are the ones who put their money, their time, their intellect or any other resources they have where their mouth is. They don't just talk about the problem, they make something happen. And the something they do generally benefits others besides themselves. As a result, the something usually leaves a lasting impression, a legacy far beyond their lifetimes.

So, if you're wondering what brought this to mind, it was our mini-vacation to southern Oregon week before last. Frank Hart originally established the World Wildlife Safari 35 years ago. It was his vision and his dream to create a facility in the Pacific Northwest that would help save rare and endangered species from around the world.

The park opened to the public in the spring of 1973 (I think I was first there in 1975 or 1976). In 1980 the Safari Game Search Foundation was formed, and absorbed the park. The Foundation continues to operate the park. Wildlife Safari received accreditation by the AZA in 1986. It signifies that Wildlife Safari has established and maintains professional zoological management standards as judged by other professional zoological management standards as judged by other professional members of AZA. Receiving no tax support, the park is sustained by gate admissions, donations, memberships and grants. The individuals working on the 600 acres of Wildlife Safari are dedicated to conservation, education and research of native and exotic wildlife.
In fact, many of the species there are threatened or endangered.

Studying and breeding cheetahs is their main area of focus. This from their site:

Wildlife Safari began breeding cheetahs in 1973, with the first successful litter of four cubs born to Kruger (male) and Trian (female). Since then, 38 litters and 149 cheetahs have been born at the park. These statistics place Wildlife Safari as one of the top breeders of cheetahs in the U.S. and the western hemisphere. Through our partnership with the American Zoo and Aquarium's (AZA) Species Survival Plan for cheetahs, cubs born at the park have populated zoos across the U.S.

The addition of new genetics to the population and the promise of cubs are significant to the U.S. population of cheetahs, as according to the breeding recommendations from the AZA's Cheetah SSP, the number of cubs born in the U.S. dropped significantly during the 1990s. If American zoos are to maintain a sustainable population of cheetahs, successful breeding must increase and remain at a high level through the rest of this decade. Having these amazing cats in zoo populations allows us to educate our guests and conduct research that helps the endangered cheetah both in captivity and the wild.

Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus ) are native to Africa, with 12,000 in 25 African countries and 100 - 200 animals in Iran . The largest African population is in Namibia with 2,500 animals. Cheetahs are endangered due to habitat loss, poaching and hunting by farmers worried about their livestock. An average cheetah weighs between 80 - 130 lbs. They are carnivorous, and prey on gazelles and other small to medium-sized hoofstock. Cheetahs live, on average, six to eight years in the wild and ten to fifteen years in captivity.

Cheetahs are the fastest land mammal and can reach speeds of 70 miles per hour for short sprints. They are built for speed with a deep chest for large lungs and a powerful heart. They have a stride length of 20 feet. This is the distance between a foot touching the ground and that same foot touching the ground again. A cheetah's spine is very flexible, flexing and extending to help lengthen its spine. Their hind legs push sequentially rather than together like other animals, so all four feet are off the ground at one time, giving the cheetah the appearance of flight. The tail serves as a rudder and as a brake during high speed pursuit.

Yes, in my opinion this makes Frank Hart a hero!