Cheetahs bound into view at park

FIVE of the world’s most endangered animals, born in Cork during the summer, were introduced to the public at Fota Wildlife Park yesterday.

The baby cheetahs were born on July 25. Each weighed approximately 1lb when born and now they weigh in at 4lbs each.

As many as 181 cheetahs have been born in Fota Wildlife Park since it first began rearing cheetahs in 1984.

The park’s director, Dr Neil Stronach said: “All of the team at Fota Wildlife Park were delighted with the births of our five baby cheetahs. They have all made excellent progress.”

The cheetahs have a very striking appearance with long manes of hair to help camouflage them in long grass in the wild.

These animals are being bred as part of the global cheetah conservation programme to help ensure that this magnificent cat does not become extinct.

Fota-born cheetahs have been sent to breeding centres around the world as part of conservation programmes.