Rare North African cheetah cubs born

The award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park is celebrating conservation breeding success with the birth of four cheetah cubs as part of the Endangered Species Programme. The cubs are even more special as their parents Brooke and Darcy are rare Northern Cheetah.

Mum Darcy gave birth in the early hours of Valentine’s Day to the four tiny cubs. Darcy is now spending her time looking after her cubs in their house in Cheetah Territory. 

Director of Animals, Dr. Charlotte MacDonald, said: “We are delighted to welcome another set of cheetah cubs to the park.

“Having previously giving birth to Kendi and Tafari in 2024, Darcy is a natural mother. She seems very relaxed and is taking everything in her stride. 

“She was reintroduced to our male Brooke on recommendation of the Breeding Programme. In the wild, female cheetahs are solitary and the father has nothing to do with the cubs so now it’s just Darcy is with her cubs and Brooke is in a neighbouring reserve. 

“It will be a few weeks yet before the cubs will come out in the reserve, but everything is progressing nicely so far.’

YWP’s Cheetah Territory covers 10,000 square metres, comprising of three reserves and two houses forming a breeding complex, which is believed to be the largest in Europe.

Dr Charlotte added: “The birth of the cheetah cubs marks another vital step towards conservation of this incredible species.

“Their numbers are rapidly dwindling in the wild and we are thrilled to be able to contribute towards their protection.

“Kendi and Tafari were our first cheetahs to be born in the park and have now moved on to be part of the Endangered Species. Their arrival heightened awareness about the plight of the endangered  Northern Cheetah.

“We hope that these four will do the same.”

Cheetahs are under threat from habitat loss, poaching and pollution. They were once one of the most widespread carnivores on the planet but are now mainly confined to Southern Africa with small numbers in East and North African and a population of less than 30 in Iran.

The charity based at the park, The WildLife Foundation, partners with the Cheetah Conservation Fund in its mission to preserve cheetah ecosystems with interventions that are environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and economically viable.