An orphaned cheetah cub from Oregon has been adopted by a new mom cheetah last week at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens. The male cub has become part of a new family along with the mother cheetah and her other two recently born cubs.
Cheetah moms do not receive enough stimulation from a single cub birth to produce an adequate milk supply, and the cub would not survive. It was then through, the contacts from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Cheetah Species Survival Plan, that the cub would do best if transferred to the Cincinnati Zoo.
On Monday night, the cub spent his first night in an incubator; on Tuesday he met and was ready to cuddle with his new mom and her babies.
According to the press release issued by the zoo, he was placed with his new mom, Etosha, who recently had given birth to her two biological cubs. Since cheetahs can’t count, it is likely she just thinks this newest one is part of the family.
Nursing has been observed and she’s being attentive to all three cubs.
Tom Tenhundfeld, Cheetah Breeding Center
There are currently eight cheetahs in the Cat Ambassador Program. The first few months consist of bonding and building trust; his caretakers will be with him day and night, and when he is ready he will join the other ambassadors to participate in the “Cheetah Encounter.”
Cheetahs are endangered, and their population worldwide has shrunk from about 100,000 in 1900 to an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 cheetahs today.
The cub has not been named yet – standby.
Check out this video filled with absolute cuteness:
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