Keepers at Longleat are hopeful that the presence of three young male cheetahs could lead to the birth of new cubs at the Wiltshire safari park.
Themba, Ajani, and Lunis arrived from Germany earlier this year as part of an international breeding program. The trio spent the winter settling into their new home and getting acquainted with the two resident females.
Lead keeper of carnivores, Kayleigh Smith, expressed excitement about the possibility of more cheetah cubs. “We are really hoping for more cheetah cubs. It is so exciting,” she said.
According to conservation partner TUSK, there are estimated to be fewer than 7,100 adult cheetahs left in the wild, with the species almost extinct in Asia.
The trio’s arrival at Longleat came after resident cheetahs Mo and Bolt moved to the Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent as part of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme. Smith noted that the three young males quickly adapted to their new enclosure, engaging in typical cheetah behavior such as climbing, playing, grooming, and reaching speeds of up to 100 km/h (70 mph).
“When the boys arrived, they were a year-and-a-half old, so they were still quite cub-like,” she explained. “The only females they’d known were their sisters and their mum, so coming into a collection where they could smell females that were coming into season, it was pretty instant that they realized what their job was.”
Smith emphasized the importance of observing the cheetahs’ behavior and personalities to determine compatibility with the resident females. “The girls are showing signs of flirtation, and it’s just a case of facilitating it from our side,” she added.