For people who cannot afford safari excursions, zoos offer a taste of Africa through their exhibits and the information they provide. The San Diego Zoo has an exhibit called The Heart of Africa. In 1970, the first cheetah born in the Western hemisphere made its appearance at the San Diego Zoo wild animal park. The cheetah, an endangered species, is the fastest cat in the world and the only one with non-retractable claws. Claws are used like cleats for running.
Cheetahs are solitary in the wild.
Once they breed, the mother cheetah is left with her babies. Fennec Fox Found in deserts where the temperature gets up to 120 degrees, the Fennec fox is the smallest of the canines. It is a nocturnal creature that burrows underground. To control body temperature and protect it from extreme heat. It has hair inside its ears to keep the sand from getting in and hair on its feet to protect it from burning in the white sand.