Emmett the Cheetah (2016-2024)
Obituary
Emmett, an 8-year-old cheetah, died in June 2024 at the Columbus Zoo.
Emmett became famous for his close friendship with Cullen, a labrador retriever. Emmett had been ill for some time and when the zoo sedated him for further examination, he died.
Emmett was used as an “ambassador” by the Columbus Zoo and was forced to entertain and pose at parties and for the media. The Columbus Zoo came under fire in 2021 after The Columbia Dispatch uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars of fraudulent spending by zoo officials. The zoo lost its Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accreditation for the fraud and its practice of transferring baby animals to zoos for entertainment purposes. The documentary The Conservation Game exposed how Columbus Zoo director Jack Hanna and other celebrity “conservationists” trade animals between backyard breeders for profit and fame.
World Animal Protection urges everyone who loves cheetahs to avoid zoos and enjoy them in the wild or at an accredited sanctuary.
