Whipsnade's Newest Arrivals

16 August 2010, 14:22 | Updated: 16 August 2010, 15:34

The litter of five cubs – three males and two females – have been called Itjane, Sanne, Tlata, Rabaa and Khamssa, which translates as numbers one, two, three, four and five in the North African language of Berber, spoken in Algeria where their critically endangered species originates.

Born to first-time mum Dubai, the cubs and mum are all doing very well and will move into their public home in the Zoo’s Cheetah Rock enclosure this week.

The cubs are a cause for great celebration for both the Zoo and the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP), as it is estimated that there are less than 250 individuals of this critically endangered subspecies remaining in the wild.