Five Endangered Cheetah Cubs Thrive at Prague Zoo

Five cheetah cubs—four males and one female—born at Prague Zoo on June 18 are healthy after facing storms shortly after birth and their mother Daenerys’s intestinal infection in August. Despite being a first-time mother, Daenerys protected the newborns from the rain by licking water from their fur, curator Pavel Brandl said. Zoo officials cautioned that the cubs remain vulnerable and it may take a year to know whether they have passed the most critical period. Their survival matters for a species threatened with extinction, with fewer than 7,000 cheetahs estimated to remain in the wild.