Cheetah Babies

Yay, cheetah babies, check out the original article, cute picture. This is especially important because cheetahs as a population, in the wild and in zoos, have a really low level of genetic diversity. No one is really sure why, but there seems to have been a population bottle-neck at some point and so they are all really inbred, for lack of a better word. If you take a skin graft from one cheetah and put it on another it will take right away and not be a problem at all. That's because they all have such similar genes, that their body doesn't reject the tissue of another individual the way that human bodies even reject the organs of others who are a good match. So while habitat loss and hunting are problems for cheetahs like any other animal their own lack of genetic diversity is probably their biggest problem because even if they had all the habitat in the world and were never hunted by humans, they seldom mate successfully and tend to have a lot of health problems.

National Zoo's cheetah cubs ready for limelight

Three of four new cheetah cubs, huddle together to keep warm during a preview showing at the National Zoo on Friday in Washington.
Associated Press

Washington — The National Zoo's new cheetah cubs frolicked in the snow, flipped backward down a grassy hill and playfully swatted each other Friday, exploring their yard under the watchful eye of their mother.
It was a rare outdoor appearance for the caramel-colored cats. The public will get its first chance to seem the 10-week-old cheetahs Saturday.
Since they were born Nov. 23, the two males and two females have spent most of their time indoors bonding with mom and receiving careful attention from veterinarians. To prepare them for their new home, zoo keepers have spent the past month slowly introducing them to the outdoors — and the wintry weather.
"They actually seem to like the snow," said cheetah keeper Craig Saffoe. Still, he said the zoo limits the cubs' outdoor playtime to a few hours a day. The world's fastest land animals are natives of Africa.
This is the 115-year-old National Zoo's first litter of cheetahs, zoo officials said. The cubs weigh about 10 pounds each, but will grow to 10 times that size in a year.
"It's a big event for us," said veterinarian Carlos Sanchez. Cheetahs can be picky about selecting a mate, and male cheetahs in captivity tend to have low sperm levels, so many matings are unsuccessful, zoo officials said.
The cubs will stay together until they become adults on their first birthday. They may then be sent to breed with selected cheetahs at other zoos to ensure a genetically viable population.
They typically live eight to 10 years.