Cincinnati Zoo Welcomes 2 New Endangered Cheetah Cubs in Honor of International Cheetah Day

Mar. 15, 2025

Cheetah cubs Zola and Lulu.Photo:Cincinnati Zoo

Cincinnati Zoo

On Wednesday, Dec. 4, theCincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardenannounced that the facility welcomed two new cheetah cubs, Zola and Lulu. In a press release, the zoo revealed that the two babies were born at the Zoo’s off site property at Mast Farm, outside of Cincinnati.

“Happy International Cheetah Day! This year, we have an extra special reason to celebrate- we welcomed 2 cheetah cubs into the Cat Ambassador Program!” the organizationwrote.

A Cincinnati Zoo associate feeding one of the new cheetah cubs.Cincinnati Zoo/ DJJAM Photo

Cincinnati Zoo/ DJJAM Photo

“They are still taking bottles of formula and are working their way towards being weaned in the coming weeks,” the zoo wrote in part about the cubs' development. “When they are not eating or sleeping (which are both super cute) they like to teeth on various toys.”

According to the zoo, the cubs are still working on their mobility and socialization with their keepers, and will eventually be viewable to the public once they move to the Cincinnati Zoo location.

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Zola and Lulu are set to join a number of other cheetahs in Cincinnati, includingRozi, born in 2022, and Kris, born in 2019.

The Cincinnati Zoo’s cheetah program has made headlines in the past for its cubs' special relationships with the zoo’s puppies, who are raised alongside the cheetahs as companions to help them socialize as they grow

Black lab Daisy was adopted in 2022 to serve as a companion to Rozi, and pup Remus was brought on boardin 2019to help socialize Kris. The zoo has since shared manyvideos and photosof the animal friends playing together over the years.

One of the Cincinnati Zoo’s new cheetah cubs.Cincinnati Zoo/ DJJAM Photo

Cheetahs are considered an endangered species due to habitat fragmentation in their native continent of Africa, the illegal pet trade and “human-wildlife conflict,” the zoo states. The World Wildlife Fund reported that about 6,500 cheetahs are left in the wild.

The Cincinnati Zoo is one of 10 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) locations in the U.S. that work on the Cheetah Species Survival Plan, which helps to breed more cubs and diversify the species population. The zoo states that through its cheetah ambassador program, it hopes to raise awareness (and funding) to help keep both the captive and wild cheetah populations alive and well.

source: people.com