Duma

Duma is the title character in the 1989 film Cheetah. She is an orphaned baby cheetah that was adopted by the two main human characters, Ted and Susan. She is later captured by Abdullah and forced to run against greyhounds in a dog race. She is portrayed by Joe Herrington.

Personality
Because she was brought up like a pet, Duma has no idea how to be a real wild cheetah.

Role
An abandoned baby Duma is found by two American teenagers, Ted and Susan and their native friend, Morogo. Morogo informs Ted that her mother is dead and that she was skinned by a poacher. When Susan learns of this, she immediately wants to adopt her. Although the others think that's crazy, she thinks it's the only way for her to survive.

When Abdullah and his gang capture Duma, they plan to use her for dog racing. When Ted and Susan realize that Duma is captured, they head off into the wild to rescue her. Ted realizes that Abdullah is the one who killed Duma's mother. When they rescue Duma, they decide to release her back into the wild where she belongs.

Similar Heroes

 * Bambi
 * Tod
 * Cougar cubs
 * White Fang
 * Simba
 * Littlefoot
 * Nono
 * Aladar
 * Nemo

Trivia

 * "Duma" means "services" or "cheetah" in Swahili.
 * She is unrelated to the Warner Bros. adventure movie Duma, which also involves a cheetah. Cheetah is set in Kenya, while Duma is set in South Africa. Duma's mother in Cheetah was killed by Abdullah, while Duma's mother in Duma was killed by a lion.
 * Duma is quite similar to the Cougar cubs from Benji the Hunted. Both are big cats. Both of their mothers were killed by a hunter (Duma's mother was killed by Abdullah; Cougar cubs' mother was killed by the Hunter).
 * Duma is similar to the following heroes:
 * Tod from The Fox and the Hound. Both are animals (Duma being a cheetah; Tod being a fox). Both of their mothers were killed by a hunter. Both were adopted by an owner (Duma was adopted by Ted and Susan; Tod was adopted by Widow Tweed). Both return to the wild and find a mate (Duma finds a male cheetah; Tod finds Vixey).
 * White Fang. Both of their mothers were shot by a hunter. Both are predators. Both were told by the protagonist to run into the wild (However, White Fang reunites with Alex in the end). Both find a mate (White Fang finds the White Wolf in the sequel).