Seven cheetah cubs born at Whipsnade Zoo
First cheetah births in 15 years boost conservation efforts
Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire is celebrating the arrival of seven cheetah cubs, the first born there in 15 years.
Amira, a first-time mum, had four cubs on 18th May, soon followed by her sister Zara with three cubs five days later.
Both five-year-old sisters came to the zoo last year to help the breeding programme.
Sarah McGregor, who manages the predators team at Whipsnade Zoo, said, "We’re absolutely delighted to have seven healthy cheetah cubs at the Zoo. Amira and Zara have taken to motherhood wonderfully, and we’ve seen them nuzzling, cleaning, and feeding their cubs diligently over our CCTV cameras."
Whipsnade Zoo has been involved in cheetah breeding for years, having made history in 1967 when they were the first zoo to successfully rear cheetahs. Since then, more than 100 cubs have been born there.
Due to threats including habitat loss and fragmentation, the illegal pet trade, and human-animal conflict, more than 90% of the global cheetah population has disappeared since 1900.
There are now estimated to be just 7,000 cheetahs in the wild, and less than 600 northern cheetahs.
Zoo staff are watching the cheetah family via remote cameras to keep disturbance to a minimum.
The newborns are yet to get names since their sexes will be confirmed during a health check at about eight weeks.
Sarah promised, "While the cubs won’t be visible to visitors just yet, we’ll share lots of CCTV footage and updates, and can’t wait for everyone to see them once they’re ready to explore the outside world!"