Public gets glimpse of East Anglias baby cheetah two years in the making

The public will help to name the eight-week old cub

The public have had their first glimpse of a new cheetah cub in Suffolk, the first to be born at Africa Alive in 10 years.

The female was discovered with first-time mother Kilima, 10, in August earlier this year at the wildlife attraction.

Having been unsuccessfully introduced to a potential mate in 2019 at Norfolk’s Banham Zoo, experts eventually had better luck with a different male in March 2021.

Kilima has since moved south to Suffolk’s Africa Alive, where she is working hard to look after her newborn.

“Kilimia is doing very well, she’s very protective as you would expect but has so far proved to be an excellent mum,” said Mike Woolham, head of living collections at the Zoological Society of East Anglia.

“She’s very attentive to the needs of her offspring and we are very much looking forward to sharing our latest new arrival with visitors to the park.

“Cheetahs housed in zoos in Europe as part of the EAZA breeding programme provide a potential safety net for the wild population, not to mention acting as ambassadors for their wild counterparts and enabling all zoos to raise awareness of their plight in the wild.”

Published: 04/10/2021 by Radio NewsHub