Seven adorable cheetah cubs make first appearance at Whipsnade Zoo
Seven little cheetah cubs have been seen stepping out into their enclosure for the first time at Whipsnade Zoo.
The tiny babies are from two litters – four seven-week-old cubs born to mum Amira on May 18, and three six-week-old cubs born to mum Zara on May 23. And so far, they have spent their time cosied up with their mums behind the scenes.
But visitors to Whipsnade Zoo can soon catch a glimpse of the little ones as they start to explore rest of their home from today (Wednesday).
Their keepers have managed to take some footage of the cubs as they put their famous speed skills to the test, chasing each other and playfighting in the long grass.
The cubs who will be sexed at their first health checks in the next couple of weeks are vitally important for the conservation breeding programme for the endangered northern cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii).
They will be named by ZSL's conservationists, who are working in Zambia to release cheetahs into the wild for the first time in almost three decades.
The zoo will help reintroduce a group of cheetahs to the Luangwa Valley to help boost the conservation of the animals, with only 6,500 left in the world.