Five cheetah cubs at Prague Zoo are doing well — Asharq Al-Awsat

At Prague Zoo in the Czech Republic, five cheetah cubs born on June 18 are doing well after heavy downpours and their mother’s illness. According to Asharq Al-Awsat, the litter includes four males and one female.

Heavy downpours after the birth

The cubs’ mother, a cheetah named Daenerys, gave birth to them in an open enclosure. Soon afterward, Prague was hit by severe storms. According to curator Pavel Brandl, despite her lack of experience, Daenerys took exemplary care of her first litter.

She protected the cubs from the downpours and licked water from their fluffy fur to keep them dry. In the wild, mortality among cheetah cubs is high because of predators as well as their vulnerability to diseases, including pneumonia.

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The mother’s illness and further monitoring

In August, Daenerys suffered an intestinal infection, which became another challenge for the litter. At the same time, on September 25, all five cubs appeared active and healthy.

Brandl noted that everything currently appears to be fine, but a long period of observation still lies ahead. According to him, it may take up to a year before it becomes clear whether the cubs will survive the critical period after birth.

Cheetahs are threatened with extinction, and every cub matters for the conservation of the species. They are the fastest land animals, capable of reaching speeds of 112 to 120 kilometers per hour. Fewer than 7,000 cheetahs are estimated to remain in the wild.