FRONT ROYAL, Va. — The National Zoo recently welcomed two adorable new arrivals to its northern Virginia campus – baby cheetahs.
The Smithsonian National Zoo welcomed two new cheetah cubs on Monday.
— WTOP (@WTOP) October 6, 2022
Mother Amani and father Asante are first-time parents, which zookeepers say make the cubs genetically valuable.
(📸: Smithsonian National Zoo)https://t.co/JTfgvf28p7 pic.twitter.com/vgeVXP3eA8
According to The Washington Post and WTOP, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute announced Thursday that first-time parents Amani and Asante welcomed two cubs Oct. 3 at the zoo’s Front Royal facility.
“The cubs appear to be strong, active, vocalizing and nursing well,” the zoo wrote in a Facebook post, which included a video of the birth.
The zoo’s animal care staff is waiting to determine the sexes of the unnamed cubs, the facility said in a news release.
“Keepers will leave Amani to bond with and care for her cubs without interference, so it may be some time before they can determine the cubs’ sexes,” the release said. “They will perform a health check on the cubs when Amani is comfortable leaving them for an extended period.”
Fans of the felines can watch a livestream of the mother and her cubs by visiting the zoo’s website.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources lists cheetahs as vulnerable. An estimated 6,500 of the animals, which typically live in sub-Saharan Africa, remain in the wild, according to the organization.
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