Houston — Cheetahs need to run.

As the world's fastest animals, the big cats can run up to 65 mph and need to get up to speed to burn off metabolic compounds. But the two who live at the Houston Zoo don't have much opportunity to do that.

"They need about 600 feet," said Beth Schaefer, the zoo's curator of primates and carnivores. "We don't have that straightaway anywhere on zoo grounds."

So, where can Kito and Kiburi, a pair of 5-year-old cheetah brothers go to burn off energy?

It turns out that a great place is the turf track at Sam Houston Race Park, 7575 North Sam Houston Parkway, West. 

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