Zoo's new arrivals could help secure future of species

TWO of the world's rarest big cats have arrived at Chester Zoo as part of a conservation programme to help save their endangered species from extinction.

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Rare Northeast African cheetahs brothers Kendi and Tafari have arrived at Chester Zoo as part of a conservation programme to help save their species from extinction. Fewer than 500 of the cheetahs are thought to currently remain in the wild

Northeast African cheetah brothers Kendi and Tafari have travelled 100 miles from Yorkshire Wildlife Park to Cheshire as part of a specialist breeding initiative.

But it wasn't the smoothest of arrivals with comical footage showing one of the clumsy cheetahs taking a tumble from a tree as he struggled to explore his new surroundings.

It is hoped the one-year-old pair will later be able to impress genetically matched females and breed to increase the numbers of "safety net" populations in zoos.

Conservationists are hailing their "special arrival" as an "important step" towards ensuring the continued survival of the species, which is classed as endangered.

Northeast African cheetahs are one of the world's rarest big cats with fewer than 500 now estimated to remain in the wild.