TWO cheetah cubs at Longleat Safari Park have had their speed put to the test to try and help them better their hunting skills.

Brother and sister Winston and Poppy, the pair of rare cheetah cubs who are being reared at the safari park near Warminster, have now reached six months old and are being taught to train themselves to hunt by chasing a lure which represents fleeing prey.

Amy Waller, keeper at Longleat, said: “This was the first time Poppy and Winston had seen the lure in action. Initially they watched mum Wilma demonstrate how to do it and it wasn’t long before they both started having a go.”

The cheetah is classed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, which means it is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve.

“To watch these magnificent animals running at full speed is truly breath-taking; they literally seem to fly across the ground. The cubs are both developing really well and were more than capable of hunting down the lure,” added Mrs Waller.

Parents Wilma and Carl came to Longleat from a captive breeding population in Pretoria, South Africa.

Keeper Eloise Kilbane said: “This means Winston and Poppy are also genetically distinct from the vast majority of the cheetah within Europe, which means their birth is even more important.”

Fully grown, cheetahs are the quickest land animals, capable of reaching up to 71 miles per hour.