Cincinnati Zoo mourns loss of world's fastest cheetah

The world lost its fastest land animal Wednesday.

Sahara (“Sarah”), the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s 15-year-old cheetah, has died.

Zoo veterinary staff euthanized the cheetah, citing her “diminishing quality of life.”

After all, 15 is a ripe old age for a cheetah: Their average lifespan is only eight to 12 years.

And Sahara packed a lot into her years. Most noteworthy: She set the world record for fastest cheetah, running 100 meters in 5.95 seconds during a National Geographic special in 2012. That was 3 seconds faster than the record held by the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt of Jamaica, making her the world's fastest land animal, according to the zoo. Her top speed? 61 mph.

The feline also visited hundreds of schools as a cat ambassador to raise awareness about the plight of the cheetah. The endangered species' population has shrunk to between 9,000 and 12,000 animals worldwide, according to the zoo. That's down from approximately 100,000 in 1900.

Still, despite Sahara's full life, zoo staff are mourning the loss of the charismatic cat.

“Sarah was the queen bee around here," Linda Castaneda, lead trainer for the Cat Ambassador Program, said in a news release. "She had a very expressive face that communicated what she wanted. And we obliged. She was a dynamic individual and we were privileged to know her and learn from her.  We will all miss the princess cat.”

Sahara came to Cincinnati when she was only six weeks old. Cathryn Hilker, founder of the zoo's Cat Ambassador Program, raised the cheetah alongside an Anatolian shepherd puppy named Alexa.

"Sarah would often challenge her trainers when asked to do a task but she would fulfill any request made by Cathryn," Castaneda said. "It was an exceptional relationship, one that every keeper and trainer hopes to have with animals in their care. Even in her retirement from the zoo, Cathryn continued to be a constant in Sarah’s life, visiting her earlier this week to say her goodbyes.”

The Cincinnati Zoo has been dubbed "The Cheetah Capital of World" because of its cheetah conservation initiatives through education, public interpretation and breeding. A total of 73 cheetah cubs have born in Cincinnati, according to the zoo.

Its Regional Cheetah Breeding Center is one of four similar facilities in the U.S. managed by the Species Survival Plan, an Association of Zoos and Aquariums initiative dedicated to ensuring the survival of threatened or endangered animals in the wild.