Yorkshire Wildlife Park has been praised for its Cheetah conservation work
19th February 2025
The birth at YWP of Kendi and Tafari, the only two surviving cheetah cubs born in Europe in 2024, sparked huge interest in the species.
As a result, the WildLife Foundation charity, which is based at the park, launched a £10,000 appeal to raise funds for cheetah conservation.
Visitors to YWP made donations to the fund, which was also substantially boosted by a Curly charity run.
And last week a cheque for £7,500 was handed over to the Cheetah Conservation Fund UK (CCF) to fund their ongoing rescue and rewilding initiatives in Namibia.
The organisation visited the park to express their gratitude for the vital contributions being made by the WildLife Foundation and YWP.
Dr. Charlotte Macdonald, Director of Animals at YWP, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Cheetah Conservation Fund to the park and discuss our conservation goals.
“They enlightened us on their own extraordinary successes in rehabilitating cheetahs and shared how crucial the funding will be in continuing to this project.
“We were also able to show them round our Cheetah territory reserve where mum Darcy and her cubs live.”
The Cheetah territory is a 10,000 square metre reserve enriched with caves and grasslands. The three reserves and two houses form a breeding complex which is believed to be the one of the largest in Europe.
Dr. Laurie Marker, Founder and Executive Director of CCF said: “I was delighted to visit Yorkshire Wildlife Park this week to mark the beginning of their partnership with CCF and celebrate their fantastic support through matching donations for our re-wilding campaign.
“The doubling of donations up to £10,000 will help us have twice the impact for cheetahs in Namibia.
“It was a pleasure to meet the wonderful team there, so full of passion and knowledge for the animals and conservation and it was wonderful to see the superb habitats in place for Darcy, Brooke, and the cubs Kendi and Tafari!
“Together they play a crucial role in protecting the survival of the Cheetah in the wild through the endangered species breeding program, education work and funding that Yorkshire Wildlife Park and the WildLife Foundation provide.
“CCF is extremely grateful for their support, and we look forward to working together to Save the Cheetah and Save the World.”
CCF is committed to the global conservation of cheetahs through delivery of a holistic suite of education, research and conservation programmes across a range of countries, including combatting the illegal wildlife per trade.
For this campaign programme, CCF is focusing its efforts on Namibia which is home to some of the last remaining wild cheetahs. Their centre here receives cheetahs injured due to human-wildlife conflict or other accidents and works to rehabilitate them.
In the rewilding process all cheetahs are given a thorough health check and fitted with a satellite tracking collar before being placed in a pre-release enclosure to acclimatise to their new environment. Once released into the wild, they are carefully monitored.
The arrival of Kendi and Tafari at YWP marked a significant contribution to cheetah conservation.
Dr Charlotte MacDonald said: “We were overjoyed when Darcy first started showing signs of pregnancy.
“She gave birth just 9 months after arriving on the recommendation of the European Endangered Species Programme.
“The cubs are a crucial part of a broader effort to protect cheetahs, whose numbers have plummeted to around 7000 in the wild.”
CCF UK's current campaign focuses on rewilding of the wild born, captive-raised cheetahs. Habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and dwindling prey populations have pushed these majestic cats closer to extinction.
In 2018, an orphaned cub named Hela arrived at CCF and was considered as a candidate for rewilding. Two years later, she was released into the wild where she became a proficient hunter and even fell pregnant.
Since the birth of her four cubs, CCF’s centre in Namibia has been monitoring them and they are now all safely settled in Erindi Private Game Reserve.
Hela’s story shows that with the correct rehabilitation, orphaned cheetahs can enjoy a wild life, as nature intended.
Cheryl Williams, Chief Executive of The WildLife Foundation, revealed: “We are proud to be partnered with the CCF and raise much-needed funds for the vulnerable species.
“Whether it is a small or sizeable donation, any contributions will make a huge difference in cheetah conservation.
“CCF are always searching for new methods to mitigate the impact of habitat loss, poaching and pollution, which all threaten the safety of the big cats.
“These contributions will significantly help us in our aim to preserve the Cheetah population, ensuring that these adorable animals can thrive in their natural habitats for generations to come.”
The WildLife Foundation is at the forefront of conservation initiatives around the world for threatened species including Polar Bears, Black Rhinos, Giant Otters and Amur Leopards.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which puts conservation at the heart of all its activities, offers visitors a mesmerising walk-through experience coming almost face to face with some of the world’s most beautiful and at-risk species, including Polar Bears, Black Rhinos, Giraffes and African Painted Dogs
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