Little Lotus Hearts Founder, Dean Willard, has been actively involved in charitable activities for more than 25 years. His most recent activity involves the sponsorship of two cheetahs born in 2005 at the San Diego Zoo. These particular cheetahs are of special importance because they are decended from parents whose genetic breakdown is considered particularly beneficial to the overall gene pool. Unfortunately, one of the baby cheetahs did not survive, however, the other cheetah, a female named Azuri, is thriving in her home at the San Diego Zoo.

Mr. Willard's contributions have been largely aimed at the construction of living arrangements that most closely resemble the natural habitat of the animals they intend to house...in this case, Azuri. The new enclosures are much larger and provide a greater level of privacy, allowing the animals to play, hunt and breed in a much more natural fashion. As a result of Mr. Willard's generosity, he has been given the opportunity to visit the cheetahs as well as some of the other animals at the zoo and has taken numerous pictures during these visits which you can now see, here at Little Lotus Hearts! Our visitors can also look forward to an upcoming article about what it has been like caring for the baby cheetah over the past several monthes, written by Kea Spurrier, the San Diego Zoo caretaker responsible for Azuri's care. Click here to see Pictures of Azuri and friends.

Aside from the basic needs of all living creatures...food, shelter and water, animals are a lot like people in that they LOVE to play and have variety in their lives. Animals at the San Diego Zoo are no different. If you are interested in helping enrich the lives of zoo animals why not consider sponsoring in whole or in part, the purchase of these enrichment items in honor of your animal companion for the enjoyment of animals at the San Diego Zoo! Sponsoring the purchase of these items can be done by visiting our ordering page and clicking on "Donations for the San Diego Zoo Project."

Sweeper Brushes: these brushes are $50.00 each and are placed in the various enclosures for animals to rub against...kind of like an animal backscratcher! These are most commonly preferred by primates, elephants, cats and hoofstock.

Planet Balls: These are HUGE balls that elephants and hippos LOVE to play with. These balls are $500.00 each.

Hammocks: Okay guys, we know you can relate to this. Primates of ALL kinds seem to love these. It gives them a place to go and relax and offers them a little variety from their usual nap spots...and they're only $10.00 each!

Mirrors: Special metal mirrors so the primate princesses can admire their beauty. They love making silly faces at themselves. These go for $50-$100 each.

Aussie Toys: These are just regular fun plastic toys loved by primates and cats alike. The prices on these items vary significantly, so we do not maintain a price list, however any donations for these items wil be passed on to the zoo, so they can select an item in the appropriate price category.