Two cheetah mothers recently gave birth to 10 adorable cubs at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C., and the newborns are already stealing hearts with their playful behavior.
The video of the cubs, just days old, shows them tumbling around in the hay and interacting with their siblings. Happy, a three-year-old cheetah, delivered five healthy cubs on March 23.
If you prefer not to read the full story,
Skip ahead to watch the video ->
Miti, a seven-year-old cheetah, followed five days later, giving birth to seven cubs. Unfortunately, two of Miti’s cubs were born weaker and did not survive, a common occurrence in larger litters.
The remaining cubs are thriving and nursing well; their mothers are reportedly healthy. Each litter includes two males and three females.
“The average cheetah litter is typically around three cubs, so having ten is amazing,” said Adrienne Crosier, a cheetah biologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and manager of the Cheetah Species Survival Plan for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
“We increased our cheetah population by 50 percent in just one week. Each cub is important for the health of cheetahs in captivity and symbolizes hope for the species.”
This birth represents the second generation of cheetahs born at the institute, extending its cheetah family tree.
Two older cheetahs, Amani and Barafu, recently retired, are now grandparents. Since the institute began breeding cheetahs in 2010, 46 cubs have been born.
The new mothers were paired with male cheetahs that complemented their temperaments to help ensure genetic diversity. The cubs are Miti’s third litter and Happy’s first.
Cheetahs have low genetic variation, a problem thought to stem from a population bottleneck that occurred about 10,000 years ago. The institute aims to address this by fostering as much genetic diversity as possible.
Miti, Happy, and their cubs will be closely monitored. The cubs will be observed via closed-circuit cameras in their nest boxes, and their first veterinary checkup is scheduled for when they reach six weeks of age.
Read more Wildlife News.