You will soon see a familiar furry face around Monarto Safari Park.

Eight-year-old male Cheetah, Innis, has come back to Monarto after a five-year stint at the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra.

Similarly to many interstate visitors this year, he has undertaken one month of quarantine.

Keeper, Gale Akerman, said he will soon be introduced to Kesho, Monarto’s nine-year-old female, in the hope that there might be a ‘speedy’ pregnancy and therefore cubs on the horizon.

“Innis has been laid back and very content. We hope he will be the same when he meets the girls,” she said.

“He is already displaying mating signs and we are looking to introduce him to Kesho soon.”

Innis first came to Monarto Safari Park from Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre in 2016 and has fathered five cubs including four girls and one boy. Kesho has had two litters, with three of her cubs Mapenzi, Kuishi and Mara, still living with her at the park.

You can see the cheetah using the Zu-loop bus or join our keepers to get up close and personal with these beautiful big cats during our Cheetah Experience.

The cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal and capable of reaching speeds of more than 100km per hour in just over three seconds. At top speed, a cheetah’s stride is seven metres long.

Together with their distinctive coats, the cheetah is also charactised by their long slender limbs and ‘tear marks’.

In the wild, the cheetah has a classification of vulnerable to extinction with only an estimated 6,700 individuals remaining in eastern and south-western Africa.

Monarto Safari Park and Zoos SA proudly support The Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, which is dedicated to saving the species and undertakes research, habitat restoration, and education activities.

On December 4, Monarto Safari Park will celebrate International Cheetah Day with a fun line-up of events including special Cheetah keeper talks and a ‘cheetah wine’ tasting. For more information, please visit www.monartosafari.com.au/event/cheetah-day/.

To book a behind-the-scenes Cheetah Experience or your tickets to Monarto Safari Park please visit www.monartosafari.com.au.