The bill, which includes $1.9 million for Warren County projects, was approved Wednesday by the Senate, but has yet to be passed by the House of Representatives or signed by Gov. John Kasich.
However the local lawmaker who pushed for the funding said the capital budget had already been agreed upon by state leaders.
“To the best of my knowledge, it’s cast in stone. There might be some little changes, but no significant changes,” Ron Maag, R-Salem Twp., said last week.
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Cheetah Run & Encounter would feature an enclosed 250-yard run for “Cat Ambassadors,” specially trained cheetahs bred for human interaction. They would be housed in an enclosure that would allow them to chase lures across the former Bowyer farm east of the Ohio 63 interchange at Interstate 75.
“Our Cat Ambassador Program is one of the most successful in the country,” the zoo’s curator of mammals, Christina Gorsuch, said in an email. “One indicator of this is that our cheetahs continue to show interest in lure course running for a large portion of their life. A big part of this success is due to allowing the cheetahs to run in large, open spaces that are different than their area at the zoo and provide variety. This way, they stay excited and motivated to run in any scenario.”
The run would be near a breeding facility where cheetah breeding is to begin at the end of the summer on 650 acres at Nickel and Hamilton Roads in Turtlecreek Twp., near the Warren-Butler county line. The run is to be complete within two years.
While the breeding will not be open to the public, the Cheetah Run & Encounter would be set up so people could witness the world’s fastest animals in action. The run and breeding center are moving from the zoo’s Mast Farm in Clermont County.
“Guests (invited groups only) will be able to witness the cheetahs’ remarkable speed and grace from a designated spot. There are no set hours for the runs as of yet as those details are still being worked out,” the zoo’s communications director, Michelle Curley, said in an email.
Last month, zoo officials talked broadly of plans to improve on facilities in Clermont County.
"Let's make it bigger and better," Mark Fisher, the zoo's vice-president of facilities and planning, told WHIO Reports.
The zoo is to receive a total of $2 million in capital funds, including $1.75 million for projects in Cincinnati, Maag said.
The zoo already has a wetlands and bird sanctuary, and operates an organic farm, beekeeping and native plant facilities nearby in Warren County.
"Where we're headed of course is to get some animals out there. It's a fun time," zoo director Thane Maynard said during the WHIO Reports show in March.
Running demonstrations will take place in an open, grassy area within a fenced barrier. Cheetahs will chase lures through obstacles, such as tall grasses or boulders, simulating the wilds of Africa.
A small building will be constructed to house the cheetahs between runs. The development, estimated to cost $375,000 to $660,000, will include a public drive, parking area, restroom facility and walkway off Mason-Montgomery Road.
The area is about two miles from the Ohio 63 interchange, the Miami Valley Gaming racino and a Premium Outlets Mall. Kings Island Amusement Park and a Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park are short drives away.
Warren County calls itself “Ohio’s Largest Playground,” and ties tourism to more than $1 billion a year in revenue.
“Warren County is a destination county, a tourist county,” Maag said. “The cheetah run is going to be a super, super addition. It’ll bring people in.”
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