7 cheetah cubs cause for celebration at Virginia zoo
Seven’s a lucky number and that’s how many cheetah cubs were born at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia.
The zoo, announced via its website, the seven cubs are in “great health and growing fast.” They were born Nov 30.
A cheetah having seven cubs is a very rare experience. The zoo said that occurs only 1 percent of the time.
The cubs, along with their mother, Vaila, are in the zoo’s cheetah breeding facility and are not on exhibit. Zoogoers might be able to catch a glimpse of the cubs come March.
The zoo said the cheetah is Africa’s most endangered cat, and the wild population has declined from 100,000 to only 7,000 left in the world. Since 2013, the Metro Richmond Zoo has launched massive efforts in cheetah conservation and has had nine litters born with a total of 47 cubs.