Cheetah at Cincinnati Zoo Adopts Cub From Oregon Zoo to Increase Chance of Survival

A baby Cheetah cub arrives at Cincinnati Zoo from Oregon to help increase his chance of survival after his mom was unable to care for him.

On June 20, 2024, the Cincinnati Zoo shared that their Cheetah mom, who gave birth to twins earlier this month, has adopted a third cub, and things are going well. Here are the details.

According to the update , a newborn Cheetah cub arrived at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden from Oregon after it was determined the move would give the cub a "better chance at survival."

Related: Zookeeper Giving Cheetah Belly Rubs Proves They’re Just Big Babies

The mom Cheetah in Oregon only had one cub in her litter—not the typical two—which put the baby's life at risk.

"A singleton cub does not provide enough stimulation to produce lactation," Cincinnati Zoo explained in a press release. Therefore, the decision was made to add the Oregon cub to Etosha’s litter.

Etosha is a mama Cheetah at the Cincinnati Zoo who also gave birth to cubs around the exact same time as the baby in Oregon was born. The new baby has been placed in her care, giving her three cubs, and things are going well.

The zoo explains that the foster cub, a boy, was "placed in an incubator overnight to stabilize before being placed in the nest box with the other cubs."

And since then, things have been looking good for the mom and baby.

“Nursing has been observed, and she’s being attentive to all three cubs,” said Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Cheetah Breeding Center headkeeper, Tom Tenhundfeld. “It’s a good thing that Cheetahs can’t count!”

The foster cub is very close in age to the cubs Etosha gave birth to, and this is done on purpose, the zoo explains.

“We coordinate with the other Cheetah breeding centers, so litters are born semi-close together so that if cross-fostering situations arise, the cubs are as close to the same age as possible,” said Tenhundfeld.

“We have successfully introduced cubs at our facility before, including the most genetically valuable cub in the North American population, and everything is going well with this intro.”

Cheetahs Are 'Vulnerable' So Any New Numbers Is a Positive Thing!

According to The International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ), Cheetahs are considered "vulnerable" to becoming extinct due to rapidly decreasing numbers.

This is due to several threats, including illegal animal trade, human and animal conflict, and losing their food chain and habitat because of human activity.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare ( IFAW ) explains that losing numbers of Cheetahs isn't just incredibly sad because these are beautiful animals, but their threats of extinction will have a terrible trickle-down impact.

"Cheetahs are apex predators, which means they help to keep prey populations in check, supporting local ecosystems," the IFAW states. "Without cheetahs, herbivore numbers would rise and more vegetation would be eaten, resulting in greater soil erosion and less drinking water. This would have an effect on the ecosystem as a whole, affecting all animals and humans."

We're so excited there are three new cubs at the Cincinnati Zoo, and we look forward to following along with their growth.