CHEETAHS at South Lakes Wild Animal Park have been put together in the hope a little feline flirtation will result in a happy event once the weather warms up, reports Miranda Norris.

But success or failure will depend on the 70 miles-per-hour cheetahs experiencing the thrill of the chase.

"They won't breed if they are kept together because, like humans, they get fed up of each other after five minutes," said zoo owner David Gill.

"We keep them in an enclosure with the girls at one end and the boys at the other.

As soon as we think they are chirping or shouting to each other we let them run around.

"It's the fresh surprise of a new male that causes the female to cycle."

Mr Gill, who is developing new thermostatically-controlled homes for all his cats, brought the cheetahs to Dalton last October within the Endangered Species Breeding Programme.

Two young brothers Yakamani and Fundi, from Holland, were joined by two females Akiti and Sasabani, from Ireland.

Both males are put on each female during the breeding programme.

If nothing happens, Dalton will swap their males with another zoo to see if that does the trick.

"It is very, very rare to breed cheetahs in the UK and in the world but we are really hopeful," said Mr Gill.

"I know of only one British zoo that has managed it in the past five years.

But, he said, success rates looked set to rise.

"People did not understand about cheetahs and did not want to understand.

They wanted to keep their cheetahs together to make a nice exhibit and you won't breed them like that."

Visitors will be able to enjoy sightings of all the cats, which include South American margay, ocelot and geoffroys, throughout the winter.

Previously they were kept in enclosed buildings in winter but new glass-fronted enclosures have been built.