Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii
We are home to one Northeastern cheetah called Cleo! She is five years old and joined us from Fota Wildlife Park in August 2024.
Northeastern cheetahs are native to Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan in small and heavily fragmented populations.
Sadly, wild populations are in decline due to poaching, illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss and lack of prey.
Population
Decreasing
Diet
Carnivore
Habitat
Grasslands
Fact file
Cheetahs are the FASTEST land animals in the world over short distances and can reach speeds of up to 75mph. They can reach 60mph in just three seconds!
These spotted cats are often mistaken for leopards or jaguars but it's easy to tell the difference when you know what to look for. Cheetahs have round or oval-shaped spots, while leopards and jaguars have distinctive spots called ‘rosettes’, resembling the shape of a rose
They can't roar! Instead they meow and purr – like a housecat
Cheetahs have approximately 2,000 spots
Win a unique cheetah and friends prize!
Go behind the scenes to meet Edinburgh Zoo’s new cheetah and your favourite animals! Who will you invite to share your unique once-in-a-lifetime experience? Every £5 ticket purchased in this prize draw will help save the animals you love. The more tickets you buy, the more you will help.
Enter now
How we're helping
Like all the animals in our care, Cleo is an amazing ambassador for her relatives in the wild and helps hundreds of thousands of people connect with nature every year. They encourage visitors to learn about the threats facing wildlife and the action they can take to help create a world where nature is protected, valued and loved.
As a wildlife conservation charity, we care for the animals here at the zoo and work to protect species at risk around the world. From providing expertise in genetics and veterinary health, to protecting wild places with local conservation partners, and even restoring threatened species to the wild, we are active where we are needed most.
Find out more about RZSS conservation