Spot the new mum! Fota welcomes rare new arrivals
THEY grow up so fast... and given how speedy cheetahs are, you’d want to be as quick as a flash to capture this rare family Fota op.
If you’ve a soft spot for family portraits, this one is made all the more special by the presence of Fota Wildlife Park’s four new arrivals.
The Cork sanctuary welcomed the little cubs last month.
They were born to nine-year-old mother Nimpy and father Claude.
And having rested over the festive period, the mother-of-four was feline well up to the job of presenting her young yesterday.
As the birth of the two male and two female cubs was announced yesterday, the tiny tykes rambled in the leaves and could be seen huddling together for warmth.
The six-week-old Northern cheetahs will grow to be the fastest animals in the world – reaching speeds of up to 112kph.
Kelly Lambe, lead ranger at Fota, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome four new cheetah cubs. Cheetahs face many threats to their population including the conversions of their natural habitat, grasslands, to agricultural zones, conflict with humans and competition for food with other large predators.’
The Northern Cheetah is considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and this is the first time the furry foursome’s father Claude has successfully bred at Fota.