Sarah, also known as Sahara, ( 2001–January 22, 2016) was a female

South African cheetah The Southeast African cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus jubatus'') is the nominate cheetah subspecies native to East and Southern Africa. The Southern African cheetah lives mainly in the lowland areas and deserts of the Kalahari, the savannahs of Okav ...

(''Acinonyx jubatus jubatus'') that lived in the

Cincinnati Zoo The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is the sixth oldest zoo in the United States, founded in 1873 and officially opening in 1875. It is located in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It originally began with in the middle of the c ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Sarah was known as the world's fastest land mammal according to

National Geographic magazine ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

. She ran 100 meters in 5.95 seconds (more precisely, 5.9564 seconds and up to 61 miles an hour (98 km/h)) in 2012, when she was 11 years old. She died on January 22, 2016, at the supposed age of 15. Sarah came to the Cincinnati Zoo when she was six weeks old and was raised by Cathryn Hilker, who was the founder of the Zoo's Cat Ambassador Program. Sarah was one of the first cheetah cubs to be raised with a puppy companion, who was named Alexa. Throughout her time at the zoo, Sarah had many trainers, but her favorite was the trainer who raised her, Cathryn Hilker. When it came to completing tasks, Sarah would challenge every trainer except Cathryn; they had a relationship that every trainer would want to have. Even when Sarah was retired, Cathryn visited her often. As a cat ambassador, Sarah visited hundreds of schools over fifteen years to heighten awareness for the plight of the cheetah. She was featured in many print and online magazines and even a local zoo commercial. Sarah and Alexa, an Anatolian shepherd, were lifelong companions. They appeared together at schools, summer shows, and on TV until Alexa retired, whereafter Sarah continued to perform solo. Sarah greatly surpassed

Usain Bolt Usain St. Leo Bolt, , (; born 21 August 1986) is a retired Jamaican sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay. An eight- ...

's 100 meter time of 9.58 seconds. Kim Hubbard said that when Sarah broke the record, she looked like a "polka dotted missile."

References

External links

Filming the World’s Fastest Runner
Individual felines 2001 animal births 2016 animal deaths Individual animals in the United States {{feline-stub