African cheetahs Zazi and her daughter Maggie have arrived at the Cheetah Outpost, the latest exhibit at the Little Rock Zoo named in memory of Laura P. Nichols, a 1966 graduate of UALR’s predecessor institution, Little Rock University.

Nichols, a long-time volunteer docent at the zoo, was a noted equestrian who raised thoroughbred horses and was a master gardener. At her death in 2007, her family established a foundation to benefit animal welfare.

Grants from the Laura P. Nichols Foundation helped establish the new cheetah exhibit. The foundation has already donated $600,000 for the zoo’s African penguin exhibit as well as $300,000 for the Cheetah Outpost. A third gift of $150,000 has been earmarked for conservation education outreach programs.

The cheetah exhibit will open 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 7.