A cheetah at Colchester Zoo has given birth to five healthy cubs while the attraction has been shut to visitors during the coronavirus crisis.

Camera footage set up in the birthing den, shows that mum Sia give birth at around 6.30pm on Wednesday, April 15.

This is Sia’s first successful litter and you can keep up to date with them via the Colchester Zoo website.

The zoo has been offering virtual tours to the public during the lockdown, with many tuning into their live streams. It offers some happy news during the gloom of isolation.

The zoo was forced to close its doors to customers on March 23, however their staff are still hard at work keeping the attraction running.

Colchester Zoo costs more than £25,000 a day to run and while it is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic the owners are appealing for any donations to help them care for their animals.

You can head over to their website to view more videos of the animals, or see here to donate