Cheetah Cubs, Rare Cheetah Birth

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Cincinnati Zoo helps cheetah deliver cubs via C-section - Five cheetah cubs are receiving critical care in the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Nursery after veterinarians stepped in to perform a rare C-section on five-year-old mother “Willow” last week.

"The cubs were born under difficult circumstances," said Dr. Mark Campbell, Director of Animal Health at the Cincinnati Zoo, in a news release. "For puppies and kittens the vast majority of their passive immunity comes from their mom's milk especially the colostrum. Their immune systems are not developed very well at all at this time so they are unable to actively ward off infections. We are doing all we can to keep them healthy and strong, but it will be a challenge for these cubs moving forward."

The cubs, 3 boys and 2 girls, were born at the Zoo’s regional cheetah breeding facility in Clermont County on March 8. They were moved to the Cincinnati Zoo Nursery immediately where there's been around-the-clock care with bottle feeding every three hours during the past 10 days.

"This is only the third C-section I have been involved in during my 25 year career at the Cincinnati Zoo," Campbell said. "The decision to do the procedure is complicated and involved discussion amongst the veterinary, curatorial and keeper staff. The procedure went well. Mom is recovering, and we’re working hard to put some weight on the premature cubs. Important benchmarks for survival of these cubs are the first week and month of life."

The cubs will remain in the nursery for at least 8-12 weeks. Visitors may be able to catch a glimpse of the cubs through the nursery windows, but much of their critical care will take place behind the scenes, the zoo said.