Earlier this month , five cheetah cub were born via caesarean subdivision , a seldom performed subprogram in these bountiful cat . Tragically , their female parent break down just week after the operation . However , all is not lost for the youthful cub , as the zoo ’s nonmigratory andiron , an Australian shepherd called Blakely , has step in as their “ surrogate parent . ”
Willow , the mother cheetah , return birth to two male and three female cubs at theCincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’sCheetah Breeding Facility on March 8 . On March 22 , the zooannouncedthat she had passed away after struggling to convalesce from the surgery .
Caretakers at the zoo ’s nursery have been provide much - needed critical care to the young rookie . As Dr. Mark Campbell , the menagerie ’s director of animal health , explicate to theBBC , carnivores bear via caesarean division involve a plenty of extra concern and attending . Their bodies have not yet developed an active resistant organisation , instead rely on their mother ’s antibodies in the milk . With weak immune scheme , their carers need to stay extremely conservative of hygienics .
Blakely the wienerwurst is also playing a part in their rehabilitation . As head glasshouse custodian Dawn Strasser excuse , Blakely will help these young carnivore get to fighting force : “ His first job is to let the cubs climb on him , which they did as soon as they were put together . They require the exercise to build muscle tone and get their backbone affect . ”
calculate who ’s eye are starting to open!#CloseEnoughToCare#WildWednesdayhttps://t.co / AYdfQLNFXTpic.twitter.com / QimaSZl5tK
— Cincinnati Zoo ( @CincinnatiZoo)14 May 2025
visitor of the zoo will be able-bodied to pick up the odd glimpse of the rookie through the window of the nursery . However , the cubs will pass most of the next few month being cared for in secret .
The zoo ’s breeding facility has receive the giving birth of 54 cheetah cubs since it opened in 2002 , which is good news debate cheetahs are endanger and cover to front huge threats in the wild . According to Cincinnati Zoo , there could be as few as 9,000 chetah worldwide , compare to about 100,000 over 100 years ago .
“ This is only the third ampere-second - section I have been regard in during my 25 - year career at the Cincinnati Zoo , ” said Dr. Campbell in astatementbefore the mother go . “ The decision to do the operation is complicated and involved discussion amongst the veterinary , curatorial and keeper staff . "
He added : " Important benchmarks for survival of these greenhorn are the first week and calendar month of life . ”
