Five cheetah cubs were born at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in a breeding facility at Front Royal, Virginia, on Oct. 5. The litter is the fourth generation in a bloodline born at SCBI, starting with the cubs' great-grandmother, Sanurra. Next came Rosalie in 2015, then Zura in 2021, and now, the SCBI's newest litter of five.
The Smithsonian's cheetah campus and breeding program are built to limit human interaction early on, including keepers and staff. So, the new cubs are not on display to the public, at least in real life. Enter: the Cheetah Cub Cam. The Smithsonian's two-den 24-hour livestream allows anyone to watch the cubs bond with their mom and each other in their early days of life.
Their father, Flash, is not in the picture. Male cheetahs don't usually raise cubs. Cheetahs are considered a vulnerable species. They're not quite endangered, but there are less than 7,000 left in the wild. The Smithsonian is part of a larger nation-wide effort to breed a sustainable cheetah population in North America.
The cubs will likely be visible on the Cheetah Cub Cam for about six to seven months, or until they prefer not to sleep in the same den. After that, the litter will likely stay at SCBI for a year or two, then they'll move on to other facilities as part of the breeding efforts. Catch them while you can!
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