20.7.2027 – Source: Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Photos by Pat Waldron
Four endangered cheetah cubs at the Award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park made their public debut in early June. The young cubs, all girls and born on Valentine’s Day, have taken their first steps into the main enclosure alongside their mother. They excitedly bounded outside for the first time and eplored a cave in the reserve.
They are even more special as their parents, Brooke and Darcy, are rare Northern Cheetahs, who were introduced as part of the European Endangered Species Programme.
Dr. Charlotte: “Darcy was reintroduced to our male Brooke on recommendation of the Breeding Programme. In the wild, female cheetahs are solitary and the father has nothing to do with the cubs, so Darcy remains with her cubs while Brooke is in a neighbouring reserve.”
Brooke
Darcy
Director of Animals, Dr. Charlotte MacDonald, said: “It’s fantastic to see the cubs finally out and about in Cheetah Territory.
“Mum Darcy is great for both nurturing and playing with them, and it’s great to see they are so keen on exploring the enclosure’s space.”
The girl quartet’s names are Dua, Rosa, Valentina and Mila. It’s a mission impossible to catch them all in a same photo ….
Even when Darcy is relaxing she’s keeping an eye on her baby girls.
Kate Borrington, Senior Animal Ranger at YWP, added: “The girls were a little bit cautious to start with, and a little bit nervous seeing people on the walkway, but as time has gone on, they’ve become used to it and have been running around all morning, playing with mum and each other.”
Second-time mum Darcy previously gave birth to her first litter in 2024, who were moved to Chester Zoo in late October 2025 as part of an important conservation initiative.
Kate continued: “These girls are a lot more energetic and ‘spicier’ than Darcy’s previous two, Kendi and Tafari, who were a lot more relaxed.
“They like to talk to each other. Darcy will especially be vocal to the cubs if she’s moved quite far from them and can’t see them, and vice versa. They chirp to tell each other where they are. It’s been super exciting from having watched the girls being born, and working with them from day one up until they’ve been out in the paddocks.
“It’s been amazing watching them grow and it’s only going to get better from here. We hope our visitors get to enjoy watching them as much as we do.
“Just like us, Darcy is super happy that the cubs are out – she’s been keen to get them out here”
Spotted hyena cubs
Yorkshire Wildlife Park has welcomed two new spotted hyena cubs to first-time mum Noubia. The cubs were born in February and the visitors can now – with any luck – see them outdoors.
Half-term visitors to the award-winning park were amazed when Noubia appeared in the reserve with a tiny cub in her mouth. Two days later, to everyone’s surprise, a second cub was spotted emerging from the den.
YWP’s Carnivore Team Leader, Bex Brown: “It was heartwarming to see Noubia and her cubs. Despite having access to their own purpose-built house at the park, hyenas like to find security in underground dens. In the wild, these are often abandoned burrows dug by other animals and can be between four and 20 metres long. They act as nurseries where cubs from different mothers gather.
“But it makes things difficult for rangers to monitor, so whilst it was suspected that Noubia was pregnant, it was hard to find out if she had given birth without disturbing her. We were very excited when we got a call to say a visitor had seen a cub above ground. It was a massive relief for us.
“Hyenas typically have one to two cubs, so we assumed that it was a single cub. But we were even more delighted when, to our surprise, a second cub ventured out of the den two days later.”
Noubia even proved herself a super mum when she was out in the reserve with one of her cubs and sensed the weather was taking a turn for the worse. Bex continued:
“It was raining, it went cold, and Noubia decided to pick up the cub and, to our surprise, brought it into the house. That’s quite a big ask as hyenas, naturally in their mum mode, are quite secretive.
Director of Animals Charlotte MacDonald said “These are Noubia’s first cubs, but it seems she is a natural mother. She is getting used to the cubs and is besotted with them. They are pretty independent and well developed when they are born, with their eyes already open and teeth present.
“It is great to know that Noubia knows the house is a safe place for her and her cubs and that she has that trust in us, though they still prefer their own den out in the reserve. Noubia came from a zoo in Belgium and was only introduced to the male hyena Speedy a few months ago, and they got on really well straight away.
“We are delighted that they were able to contribute to the breeding programme so quickly.”
Mama Noubia
The birth of the cubs marks a milestone in protecting this incredible species, as their wild population continues to decline.
Dear Pat! The babies are very cute.
Hugs
Ludmila
Ja, die vier Gepardenmädels haben eine ganz große Ausstrahlung und werden sicherlich so große und stolze Tiere werden, wie die Eltern Darcy und Broke…👍👌😊
Auch der Nachwuchs der Gefleckten Hyänen ist etwas ganz Besonderes! 👍👌😊Schade nur, dass Hyänen keinen guten Ruf haben..😏
Hello Pat,
Yes, the little cheetahs are absolutely adorable, and we’d like to congratulate Yorkshire Park on their breeding success.
Your photos are brilliant, as are those of the little hyenas, which are so pretty as cubs but not so much as adults. Added to this is their bad reputation, even though, just like all other animals, they only kill to survive and to feed their young.
A very big thank you for your detailed report!
Britta-Gudrun
Dear Pat!
Thank you for these enchanting photos of the little cheetahs and hyena cubs. I find the “mini punks” — who look particularly cute with their comically fierce facial markings — especially adorable. To me, their parents are the most elegant of the big cats.
As cute as the little hyenas are, I’d never want to run into their parents in the wild…
Hugs
Anke