Buju, The ‘Sassy’ Cheetah at Cape May Zoo Has Died

Buju, a longtime favorite at Cape May Zoo has died. The 12-year-old cheetah passed away from kidney disease.

Popular Cape May Zoo Cheetah Dies

The Cape May Zoo announced his passing Monday morning on Facebook, saying that Buju passed away due to kidney disease. Cheetahs in the wild typically live 8-12 years and up to 20 years in managed care.

Buju was one of two cheetahs at the zoo.

Buju the cheetah and his brother Beenie were born on September 7, 2011, at the Cincinnati Zoo and came to the Cape May Zoo in November 2013.

Cape May Zoo Remembers Buju the Cheetah

In the Facebook post remembering Buju, the Cape May Zoo talked about the cheetahs' clever way of attracting and then stalking ducks at the zoo.

Buju’s favorite activity was lying in the shade in the middle of the yard with his brother, Beenie. They often mirrored each other, looking like bookends. As the bolder cheetah brother, he would often be first to investigate new items in and around their habitat.

 

In their heyday, they often let ducks live in their habitat for days before they would start stalking and hunting them, which led them to a high success rate.

Their keepers say Buju and Beenie were very food-motivated and can be told apart by their height and tail markings. Buju was the taller of the 2 brothers and Beenie has a large white tip on the end of his tail.

Buju also was the first one to sprint across the yard for a training session; eager to learn new behaviors. As he grew older, he spent more time hanging out with his keepers. His sass will be missed by the zoo staff.

 

Cape May Park & Zoo

The Cape May County Park & Zoo in the Cape May Court House provides free year-round admission to a collection of more than 550 animals representing 250 species in 85 acres of exhibits.