PREVIEW

There were heartwarming scenes at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's off-site breeding facility as a cheetah mother, Etosha, who recently gave birth to two cubs, adopted an orphan cub from Oregon.
The male cub arrived on Monday night and joined Etosha’s litter, ensuring he receives the necessary stimulation for lactation.
Tom Tenhundfeld, head keeper of the Cincinnati Zoo’s Cheetah Breeding Center, explained the coordination involved in this process.
“We work with other cheetah breeding centers to time litters so that cross-fostering can occur when needed, with cubs being close in age,” he said. “We have successfully introduced cubs before, including the most genetically valuable cub in North America, and this introduction is going well too.”
Upon arrival, the foster cub was placed in an incubator overnight to stabilize before joining Etosha and her cubs in the nest box on Tuesday. Keepers have observed excellent maternal behavior from Etosha, who is nursing and attentive to all three cubs.
“It’s a good thing cheetahs can’t count!” Tenhundfeld joked. “Etosha is caring for all three cubs as if they were her own.”
In gratitude for providing transportation, Lighthawk Conservation Flying has been given the honour of naming the foster cub. The zoo will share updates, including the cubs' names, on its social media channels.
The Cincinnati Zoo is one of ten institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) participating in the Breeding Center Coalition (BCC). This coalition works closely with the AZA’s Cheetah Species Survival Plan (SSP) to create a sustainable cheetah population and prevent the extinction of the world's fastest land animal.
Cheetahs are currently endangered, with their global population plummeting from around 100,000 in 1900 to an estimated 7,000 today. The Cincinnati Zoo has long collaborated with partners across Africa to support cheetah conservation, aiming to ensure the species' survival.
The zoo’s conservation efforts include projects that promote coexistence between farmers and predators, protecting free-roaming cheetahs. Partners include Cheetah Outreach in South Africa, Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia, Cheetah Conservation Botswana in Botswana, and Lion Landscapes in Tanzania, Kenya, and Zambia.