Cheetah cubs now four months old

Video

OUDTSHOORN NEWS & VIDEOS - The five cheetah cubs born at Cango Wildlife Ranch outside Oudtshoorn in October last year are doing extremely well. What makes the arrival of these cubs even more special is the fact that for the first time ever the birth of cheetah cubs could be captured live on camera.

According to Tamblyn Williams, the curator for large carnivores at the Ranch, it was amazing to see the birth of the cubs on the video.

" The footage of Pippa giving birth was just mind-blowing for us - to see what she went through and what an incredible mother she is to the cubs. She gave birth to four beautiful males and one female. They were named Vegas, Valiant, Valco, Viking and Valora."

Cango Wildlife Ranch has been known for preservation of various animal species for decades and has managed to keep the boat afloat during the crippling lockdown which saw them losing most of their revenue when visitors were not allowed.

The cheetahs at Cango Wildlife Ranch form part of The Cheetah Preservation Foundation.

"The cheetahs are listed as vulnerable. We breed cheetahs for a genetically healthy captive population. The hand-raising we do is for general management. The human connection allows us to build a trusting relationship with them.

"When they are transferred to other like-minded facilities this relationship can be maintained in their new environment.

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According to Williams they managed to forge a good relationship with Pippa and because of that, they were able to check on her frequently to ensure that everything went well with the pregnancy.

"We could check up on the cubs regularly after birth to make sure that they are healthy and putting on weight as they should."

At this stage, it has not yet been decided if the cubs will remain at Cango Wildlife Ranch or whether they will be placed elsewhere. They are now part of a group of about 30 cheetahs at the ranch.

As Cango Wildlife Ranch is part of a worldwide preservation foundation some of them might become ambassadors abroad. What is clear is that they will remain part of the preservations success story of Cango Wildlife Ranch.

A video of the birth of the cubs can be seen on the Youtube channel of Cango Wildlife Ranch.

Tamblyn Williams, the large carnivore curator at the Ranch with one of the cubs. Photo: Liezl van Niekerk