Park's plan for cheetahs

A spectacular cheetahs enclosure is planned as the next exhibit to thrill visitors to West Midland Safari Park.

The attraction at Bewdley has put forward plans for the exhibit Cheetah Plains including dens, water pools and earth mounds. It will add to the park's growing reputation for its collection of big cats, which attracts thousands of visitors every year.

The collection includes white tigers, Bengal tigers, African lions and leopards.

The plans will be considered by Wyre Forest District Council.

The cheetahs would be located in the current white wallaby area. Two large carved wooden cheetahs, supplied by a local artist, would welcome families as they entered the enclosure.

Heater pads would be fitted to two platforms in the reserve to attract the animals for viewing purposes and provide warmth on colder days.

The house for the cheetahs at present is only suitable for a small number and park bosses want to extend the building to provide room for six more cats.

The plans also include a shallow pool and it would be close to large trees to provide shelter and shade. If given the green light, Cheetah Plains would be open next year.

Bob Lawrence, head warden, said: "We do have two leopards at the moment at the park which arrived about a year ago. We are hoping to get more, possibly half-a-dozen, over the winter.

"We have a strong connection with Namibia and over there they are being shot by farmers who perceive they are a threat to their livelihoods.

"Because of their range Cheetahs do not do well in protected areas and they are literally disappearing off the face of the earth.

"This is a big issue over there and we are waging a hearts-and-minds campaign to persuade farmers that the wildlife are important to them and that they will earn far more from them than farming through tourism."