Congratulations to Rosalie and Nick on the birth of five babies! The cheetah cubs were born on October 12 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia. The staff have not approached the new cubs yet, since 5-year-old Rosalie is caring for the cubs just fine on her own, so they don't know the cats' genders yet. The father, 10-year-old Nick, was the first cheetah born at SCBI as part of their breeding program. While the staff remains hands-off, they are keeping an eye on the cubs via webcam, and so can we. <a href="https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/cheetah-cub-cam" alt="Check out the cheetah webcam" class="on">Check out the cheetah webcam</a> to see what mother and babies are doing. Or go back in time and watch them being born in this video.

Yeah, that seems rather effortless compared to human birth. The Cheetah Breeding Center Coalition is a network of ten breeding programs across the US that coordinate with each other to produce healthy cheetahs with diverse genetic lines. SCBI has contributed 16 cheetah litters since 2007. As of now, 31 cheetahs live on the 9-acre facility, counting the new cubs. They are not on display to the public. <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-cheetah-cubs-born-at-smithsonian-conservation-biology-institute-180978867/">Read more about the cheetah cubs at Smithsonian</a>.&nbsp; (Image credit: Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute) #cheetah #cheetahcub

Five New Cheetah Cubs on a Webcam

Sukiri, a seven-year-old cheetah, gave birth to a litter of three cubs on September 16. One was stillborn, and another died soon afterward. Cheetah mothers do not get enough stimulation from one cub to continue producing milk, so Sukiri abandoned the third cub the next day. The animal care staff took the cub into the veterinary clinic at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), <a href="https://nationalzoo.si.edu/news/animal-care-staff-are-hand-rearing-cheetah-cub-smithsonian-conservation-biology-institute" alt="where he was fed around the clock" class="on">where he was fed around the clock</a>.&nbsp;

In <a href="https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/news/cheetah-cub-check">an update a week later</a>, we learn the cub is doing well. His eyes and ears have opened right on schedule, and he sleeps with a stuffed animal that has a simulated heartbeat. Zookeepers don't want the cub to bond with humans, but they perform all the necessary functions a mother cheetah would to keep him fed and stimulated. The plan is to take the cub to another zoo where a cheetah is expected to give birth soon. If all goes well, he can be incorporated into her litter.#cheetah #NationalZoo #cheetahcub&nbsp;&nbsp;