Cheeta cubs born in Safaripark Beekse Bergen

A cheetah at Beekse Bergen gave birth to her first litter on the morning of Feb. 11.The mother and two cubs are doing well.

Head zookeeper Christian Meurrens says: "The cheetah lady Daria came to Safaripark from France at the end of October as part of the management program. Just under four months after arrival, there are already cubs! And to think that gestation lasts about three months. A beautiful asset!"

The litter originally consisted of three cubs. "Too bad, but it is not exceptional that one cub does not survive the first litter. A first birth like that takes a bit longer anyway and probably something went wrong there," Meurrens said.

The cheetahs will remain in the indoor enclosure for the next few weeks. Meurrens: "Unlike many other animal species, the young cheetahs are not quickly able to explore the outside world on their own. In about a week the eyes will open. The pair must also grow first, so they are strong enough for the outside world. After a medical check and deworming, we will also find out the sex of the cubs."

The young were born in the stay on the walking safari across from the hyena park near the elephant valley.

Studbookkeeper management program
Beekse Bergen is the studbook keeper of the European cheetah management program. Curator Lars Versteege: "As coordinator of the management program, we have the important task of putting genetically good animals together so that we have a healthy reserve population in European zoos. We are extremely happy with these two healthy cubs."

A few weeks ago, as part of the same management program, a cheetah exchange took place with Burgers' Zoo. Versteege: "We have seen that it clicks between the two, but whether it actually leads to a litter.... We can only say that with certainty when the time comes."

Threats
With barely 7,000 cheetahs in the wild, the species is very vulnerable. If no action is taken, there is a very high risk that the species will soon become extinct.

Meurrens: "This feline faces an awful lot of threats. Although the biggest threats are loss of natural habitat and human-animal conflicts. About 75 percent of all cheetahs live outside protected areas and then come into conflict with ranchers and that has its consequences for the cheetahs."

Stichting Wildlife
Beekse Bergen, through Stichting Wildlife, supports Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB). Botswana is home to the second largest cheetah population in the wild. The organization works in various ways to protect the cheetah through nature education and scientific research on the species. They also work with local farmers: CCB takes part of the care of the dogs that guard the livestock.

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