The Cheetah Orphans Premieres on US TV in November - 2007-10-29

Many of you might remember the story of Toki the Cheetah. Toki is one of two brothers that were originally brought into the care of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya when they were mere scraps of flesh, their mother having been killed by a lion leaving them orphaned. That was in August 2002.

Shortly after, Simon King, who has filmed wild cheetahs for 20 years, became their new parent. From bottle-feeding to teaching them how to hunt as their mother would have, King hand-reared the brothers and became deeply attached to them in the process.

With fewer than 13,000 left in the wild, cheetahs are among the rarest of the “big cats.” They’re found in Lewa, though, and King’s fears about Toki’s safety were realized when Toki was almost fatally mauled by a gang of three territorial males. The close call forced King to make the difficult decision to move him to another, much larger Kenyan conservancy, Ol Pejeta, where he is safer, healthier, but alone.

Toki and Sambu’s life under King’s care, by turns idyllic and tragic, and unfolding amid the stunning vistas of the Kenya savannah, is shown when The Cheetah Orphans premieres Sunday, November 11, 2007 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). Simon King Narrates.

For more information on The Cheetah Orphans, visit www.pbs.org/nature.