Cincinnati Zoo's cheetah cubs in critical care

Five cheetah cubs born under what Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden officials describe as difficult circumstances are now undergoing around-the-clock critical care in the zoo's nursery.

Their mother, 5-year-old Willow, gave birth to the cubs – three boys and two girls – via a rare C-section March 8 at Mast Farm, the zoo’s regional cheetah breeding facility in Clermont County. They were immediately moved to the zoo's nursery, where they've been bottle fed every three hours.

Mark Campbell, the zoo's director of animal health, said it was only the third C-section he has been involved in, and the only one on a cheetah, during his 25 years at the Cincinnati Zoo. And it took a village: A surgeon, assistant surgeon, anesthesiologist, veterinary technicians and five members of the zoo's animal staff took part in the procedure.

Zoo officials knew Willow was due to give birth soon and noticed she'd developed some issues that seemed abnormal.

"The decision to do the procedure is a complicated and involved discussion amongst the veterinary, curatorial and keeper staff," Campbell said. "The procedure went well. Mom is recovering, and we’re working hard to put some weight on the premature cubs.

"For puppies and kittens, the vast majority of their passive immunity comes from their mom's milk, especially the colostrum," he said. "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."

Important benchmarks for the cubs' survival are the first week, which they've already surpassed, and the first month, he said. The cubs will stay in the nursery for at least eight weeks. Though zoo visitors may get a peek at them through the nursery windows, much of their care will take place out of public view.

Cheetahs are endangered, with their population estimated at 9,000 to 12,000 worldwide. (That's compared with approximately 100,000 in 1900.) As a result, their breeding in captivity is planned and monitored carefully. Because their breeding is most successful when they are able to choose from multiple mates, the Cheetah Species Survival Plan (SSP) has set up Regional Cheetah Breeding Facilities in zoos across the country. The Cincinnati Zoo is one of nine institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that take part in a cheetah Breeding Center Coalition, which works closely with the SSP.

Some 54 cheetah cubs have been born at Mast Farm since it opened in 2002.