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I share my home with 11 cats - four cheetahs, five
lions and two tigers
Sharing
a bed with your furry friend has taken on a whole new meaning for
Riana Van Nieuwenhuizen .
The
sanctuary worker shares her South African home with not one but
FOUR orphaned cheetahs, five lions and two tigers.
Forty-six-year-
old Riana said: 'I love them all. But they're a handful.'
Two
of Riana Van Nieuwenhuizen big cats fight to be top dog in her
South African home
Riana
bought her first cheetah, Fiela in 2006, after realising the big
cats were in trouble and heading for extinction with only 1000 left
in Africa .
She
left her full time job working for the department of justice - a
position she had held for 22 years - and found temporary employment
on a game ranch where she could raise her beloved big cat.
But
Riana's real dream was fully realised after she set up the
not-for-profit Fiela Funds Cheetah Breeding Project in South Africa
to ensure the long-term survival of the cheetah and their
ecosystem.
They
make it known when they are hungry, even jumping up onto work
surfaces in an attempt to snatch a bite of whatever's going.
Cat burglar? The cheeky cheetah muscles in for a snatch of sarnie
The
cheetahs have even been known to sit in on the odd card game but
whether they offered any cat-like-cunning or poker faces is
unknown.
No
cheetah-ing: One big cat offers some furry advice
Happy
families: Riana with three of her five white lion cubs Vanilla,
Snowball and Snowflake and two tigers
The
project spreads over a hectare of land and visitors can meet Fiela
and the other cats and even have their pictures taken.
The
cats in Riana's own home are truly part of the family and are allowed
to roam freely. Luckily Riana's two dogs aren't on the menu but
instead romp with the cats and even snuggle down with them for a
snooze.
Fight
like cat and dog? Riana's two dogs snuggle up with one big cat
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