IT hasn’t taken long for a beautiful female cheetah to find her way around her new home at the Werribee Open Range Zoo.
Named Kifani, which means unique in an African language, the cheetah recently arrived from Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, NSW, as part of a regional breeding program.
She will remain in her behind-the scenes enclosure until spring when one of the zoo’s three male cheetahs will be introduced.
Zoo vets and keepers hope sparks will fly and she will take an interest in one of the males.
Curator Bev Drake says that cheetahs select their mates much like humans do. “We will literally let the males pass by her and wait for her reaction,” she said.
As a six-year-old, Kifani is ready to breed now but keepers won’t let any suitors near her yet to ensure the best summer conditions for any cubs.
Kifani could give birth to a litter of up to six cubs after a gestation period of about 90 days.
This would be a valuable addition to the population of just 12,500 cheetahs left in the world today, said Ms Drake.
As the world’s fastest land animals, cheetahs have been known to reach speeds in excess of 100 kilometres an hour in a matter of seconds.
