Four cheetah cubs born to parents Grainne and Sam are expected to be a huge draw at Fota
“We value the importance of participating in European Endangered Species breeding programmes. This year we are celebrating 40 years at Fota Wildlife Park and over 240 cheetah cubs, through breeding programmes, have been born at the park since it opened in 1983.
Mr Fonteneau explained that the four new arrivals are Northern cheetah cubs, a sub species which is native to northeast Africa and is considered endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature as there are less than 700 Northern cheetahs left in the wild.
Slender bodies, long legs and a flexible spine help the cheetah achieve speeds in excess of 100kph in pursuit of its prey, with its tail acting as a finely-tuned balancing aid, making it the fastest land animal in the world today. Females are solitary creatures – in contrast to males, who live in groups – with cheetahs living on average for between eight and ten years in the wild and for between 12 and 15 years in human care in zoos and wildlife parks.
Mr Fonteneau said that staff at Fota Wildlife Park are eagerly looking forward to seeing what names members of the public propose for the four new cubs whom they expect to prove a hugely popular attraction with the 460,000 people who visit the park each year.
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