Yesterday was a great day for my husband and I. We met with Cheeta. As a child I was fascinated by Cheeta, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I could meet him.
Dan Westfall, Cheeta's care taker and founder of the C.H.E.E.T.A Primate Sanctuary, met us at the door, a big smile on his face. He is gifted for putting people at ease and the passion he shows for the retired entertainment animals in his care is contagious.
After a quick tour of the many Tarzan memorabilia and Cheeta's awards, we were introduced to Jeeter (Cheeta's grandson) and Squeakers.
Jeeters immediately filled up his mouth with water and showed immense pride when the almost got us wet. He also ran back and forth making as much noise as he could, having serious fun.
Squeakers displayed his strength by throwing a couple of barrels around his enclosure. Then he quietly sat in the front as Dan stroke his fingers. Both primates are incredibly beautiful, well cared for and impressive in size and personality.
Then we proceeded inside the premises to meet with Cheeta.
Dan had prepared a little snack for him. Cheeta made his grand entrance and went straight to the table. He sat on a chair and ate unhurriedly while we watched from a short distance. He glanced at us a couple times but was obviously not impressed and returned to eating and drinking. His wrinkled face was that of an old man with eyes full of wisdom. The munching over, Cheeta sat at the piano and played some notes for us; showed us his biggest smile and returned to his private quarters.
"Cheeta is the ambassador of all the chimps who were in the Tarzan movies" Dan said.
Cheeta is also a gifted artist. The picture of the painting on this page is the work Cheeta made for us. If you want some original paintings, tell Cheeta what colors you want and he'll make you one too!
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