On the 5^th August Colchester Zoo welcomed a female cheetah name Sia from Burgers Zoo in the Netherlands!

Sia has already begun to settle in well and has been busy exploring her new surroundings. She can be seen at our cheetah enclosure at the Edge of Africa and will be possible to view on alternate days to our resident male Jack, who we’re sure is very pleased to have a new lady in his life after the sad loss of our older female Uria.

Unlike some other big cats’ female cheetahs such as Sia live mainly a solitary life, apart from the 13-20 months when any cubs remain with their mother.  They maintain territories which may overlap with other females but otherwise prefer to be alone which is why our new pair will live most of their time apart.

The Cheetah is easily distinguished from other spotted cats by its small head and long legs and the highly characteristic lines running from the corner of their eyes to their mouth. Cheetahs also have a unique way of catching their prey.   Rather than stalking up close, cheetahs will stalk a herd before sprinting after one animal.

DID YOU KNOW!? From a standing start cheetahs can reach their top speed of 95km/h in about 3 seconds!  

To adopt one of our cheetahs click here.