Help raise Philipina's offspring to release

Time really does go by fast when you’re a cheetah cub. One minute you’re a cuddly ball of fur, the next, a long lean adolescent.

It has been over a year since we first introduced Philipina’s cubs, who were born at the end of June last year. Since then, they have reached all their milestones and continue to mature. They are now the perfect specimens of their adult counterparts.

Part of the maturation process for cheetah cubs are a move away from their mothers to begin their own lives. This takes place in the wild at approximately 18 months of age. However, it can vary slightly. In this case, the curators at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre keep a close watch on mom and cubs to look for signs as to when the time is right to separate them. Philipina no longer needed to feed the cubs as they were fully weaned. The cubs were also starting to eat her food as well as their own, so they knew the time had come to separate them. Philipina has done a great job at being a mom and she now deserves a break.

The cubs were moved to a separate, large enclosure where there are plenty of trees, grass areas, a dam, and mounds to play on. Here they can learn what it will be like to live in the wild and go on adventures.

Naturally, they will still need to learn to hunt on their own, but this will only happen during the rewilding process after their release. For now, when it is feeding time, the cubs are moved to a feeding enclosure by means of a tunnel which they run through from their enclosure. This is done to ensure the safety of both cubs and the curators, as a hands-off approach is adhered to as much as possible. They are still wild animals, after all, and they need to develop their instincts further.

In addition to moving to their new enclosure, they were also vaccinated to ensure that they remain healthy. A rabies vaccine, as well as Anthravax and Felocell were administered. Anthravax is a vaccine given to prevent anthrax disease, an infectious bacterial disease, caused by spore-forming bacteria. Felocell is a vaccine given to healthy cats and kittens to prevent feline viral rhinotracheitis (FVR) caused by feline herpesvirus-1, feline respiratory disease caused by feline calicivirus (FCV), and feline panleukopenia (FPL) caused by feline panleukopenia virus.

We are thrilled to report that the cubs are happy and healthy, and we would like to thank everyone who has donated towards their care so far. Please keep checking our social media platforms to see more about their progress.