Zoo's cheetah cubs tear into meaty presents

A birthday party has been thrown at Whipsnade Zoo, part of the London Zoological Society (ZSL), on behalf of its resident cheetah cubs.

Celebrating their first birthday, the six cubs were given wrapped presents full of meaty treats that they tore into, along with a cardboard birthday cake.

The birthday party was part of the zoo's enrichment programme for each of its animals, which encourages them to build a curious, playful nature and actively hunt for their food as they would in the wild.

Rosie Scott, a zookeeper at Whipsnade, said: "It's not often we get to celebrate six birthdays in one day, so we wanted to do something special for the cubs.

"They love investigating new things and had great fun working out how to reach the food inside their presents."

The six Northeastern African cheetah cubs were the second litter for mother Dubai and the second to ever be born in the UK.

Image courtesy of ZSL