Nov. 17 (UPI) — The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute announced four cheetah cubs were born to a first-time mother during the government shutdown.
The zoo announced in a news release that 5-year-old Amabala, who was herself born at the facility in 2020, gave birth to her first litter of cubs Oct. 17 and 18 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Fort Royal.
“Unlike cheetahs living at our zoo in Washington, D.C., cubs born at SCBI experience limited human contact early in their lives,” officials wrote. “This helps the cubs bond naturally with their mother while giving staff biologists a chance to perform different types of behavioral research than are possible in a zoo habitat.”
Members of the public can still see the cubs, however, thanks to the facility’s “Cheetah Cub Cam” livestream on the zoo’s website.
The cubs were sired by 8-year-old Flash, who already has three cubs from a previous litter with a different mother.
“To allow first-time mom Amabala to bond with and care for her cubs, staff are remaining hands-off but are watching the cam in case they need to step in. The cubs appear to be strong, active, vocal and eating well,” officials wrote.
The four cubs were welcomed as a milestone for cheetah conservation.
“Cheetahs can be challenging to breed, in part because female reproductive cycles can be sporadic and their behavior is often very difficult to interpret,” said Adrienne Crosier, a carnivore biologist and the head of the Smithsonian’s cheetah Species Survival Plan. “It’s taken our team of keepers, veterinary staff and biologists thousands of man-hours to produce 20 litters. For that 20th litter to be Amabala’s is an exciting, full-circle moment for us.”