I'm sooooo lucky . . .

This is Duma - an 18 month-old male cheetah. He is one of a pair of brothers who were hand reared from 2 days old and live in a huge enclosure in the grounds of a house near Horizon, where I was staying. The law states that captive bred big cats can't be released into the wild here, but these guys get a life that's as close as possible to being out in the big wide world.

We were privelidged enough to be able to go into the enclosure and spend some time with the cheetahs, and they were very curious. Having a cheetah come to you voluntarily to be stroked and petted is a strange and humbling experience which left me feeling quite emotional. They were huge, beautiful, graceful, peaceful, intimidating, fascinating, powerful, intense and . . . so many things, all at the same time. It was incredible to see them transform from giant pussycats to hunting machines when something caught their eye in the bushes and even a gentle yawn just reminds you why these guys are the top of the food chain!!