Cheetah Rock now open
Tuesday 18 March 2008
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is proud to open the gates to Cheetah Rock – its fantastic flagship exhibit for the world’s fastest land mammal.
© ZSL
Visitors can now view the cheetahs on their landscaped rock look out, watching from just metres away in an African style hut, where floor-to-ceiling glass will be the only thing separating them from the animals.
The new landscaped 5,000m2 enclosure, costing in excess of £1 million, will give the public tremendous close-up views of these enchanting animals, while they enjoy their own superb vantage point “on the rocks”.
Speaking about Cheetah Rock, Malcolm Fitzpatrick, curator of mammals at ZSL, said: “Cheetah Rock is a fantastic opportunity for visitors to see these beautiful animals in a magnificent setting and be inspired and informed about ZSL’s long term support for cheetah conservation. It is also a huge step for ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, giving us the chance to re-start our historic breeding success with cheetahs.”Malcolm takes us behind the scenes at Cheetah Rock, for a quick preview of this fantastic new exhibit. Play this video
Cheetah conservation has been a major focus for ZSL since 1991. In Tanzania we have been carrying out the longest running in depth study of a wild cheetah population.
Since 1974 the Serengeti Cheetah Project has been keeping track of individual cheetahs living on the plains in the southern part of the Serengeti National Park.
