Comedy star’s cheetah fears answered

PAIGNTON Zoo has moved quickly to explain conditions for one of its big cats after comedian and actor Asim Chaudhry raised concerns in an online post.

Chaudhry – whose hit TV series People Just Do Nothing has just hit cinemas in a big screen version – has been describing his love of South Devon during a family holiday in Torbay.

He has been sharing pictures with his 148,000 followers on the social media platform Instagram, including snaps from Paignton Zoo.

One of them showed a cheetah, with the caption: “I know some zoos do a lot of good work in terms of species sustainability, but there’s something about zoos that will always make me feel sad.

“This cheetah lived in a small space. It’s mad to think that one of the fastest animals in the world doesn’t even have space to sprint.”

A Paignton Zoo spokesman responded, saying: “We hope Asim and his family are having a lovely holiday in the English Riviera and also enjoyed a fun trip to Paignton Zoo as well.

“We would like to assure Asim that behind the visible cheetah enclosure, there is a further large and long enclosure that leads right to the top of the reserve.

“This enclosure is away from the public to ensure that the cheetahs can be away from people when they choose. There are guidelines and recommendations set by the breeding programme committees for keeping cats including cheetahs and we’re pleased to say that our enclosure meets and indeed exceeds these standards regarding size and complexity.

“We hope Asim enjoys the rest of his stay and visits us again soon.”

Chaudhry has also appeared in other shows including the Netflix interactive Black Mirror project, and the cult TV game show Taskmaster.