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Birthday party provides enrichment

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

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Voting opens for BEVA Council

News Story 1
 Eligible members of BEVA will be able to vote for their Council team until Monday, 17 August 2026. Members will have received an election email on 17 July.

There are five candidates standing for four available places on Council. They are:

  • Alexandre Triguino
  • Angela Jones
  • Beth Bryant
  • Holly Rees
  • Hugh Somerville
Full profiles for each candidate can be found on the BEVA website. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Government releases latest bluetongue statistics

APHA has confirmed the number of bluetongue cases that have been logged in the UK since 1 July 2026.

The total number of BTV-3 cases, as of 6 August, is 187. This includes 183 cases in England and four cases in Wales.

There have been no recorded cases in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The location of premises in Great Britain where at least one animal has tested positive by PCR for BTV-3, BTV-8 or BTV-12 is available on the bluetongue case map. All livestock keepers in Great Britain are urged to familiarise themselves with nation-specific bluetongue control policies.

Bluetongue virus is a notifiable disease. It is a legal requirement that any suspicions, even if livestock has been vaccinated, are reported immediately.