Fota Wildlife Park welcomed two cute new arrivals with the birth of two endangered Northern cheetah cubs.
The male and female were born on November 24th to five-year-old mother Florence, who was born at Fota, and father Naweb.
Nawab is six years old and was transferred to Fota from Wadi Al Safa Wildlife Centre in Dubai as part of a European Endangered Breeding Programme (EEP).
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The Northern cheetah is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with wild populations continuing to decline due to habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and illegal wildlife trade. It is estimated that approximately 600 individuals remain in the wild.
Senior ranger, John Leahy, said: 'We are delighted to announce the birth of these endangered cubs. Florence is a first-time mother, and she appears to be adapting extremely well to her new role.
'In the wild, the mothers are solely responsible for raising their cubs, and this natural situation is reflected here at Fota Wildlife Park. While we continue to monitor the animals very closely, we do so remotely, to avoid causing any stress to the mother or her newborns.
'Their den is fitted with cameras, so we can discreetly observe and assess mum and cubs continuously. The cubs are developing really well and have begun eating small amounts of meat shared by Florence, while still nursing from her.
'Visitors to the Park can already see the cubs running around their habitat daily, playfully interacting with one another and their mother, exploring their environment and growing bigger and stronger by the day.'
The cubs currently sport a distinctive ruffed grey coat with a black stripe running down the length of their backs, thought to mimic that of the honey badger, potentially deterring predators in the wild. As they mature, they will gradually grow out of this distinctive coat.
Fota Wildlife Park is inviting the public to help name the cubs through an online competition at www.fotawildlife.ie/blogs/
