CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden officials are mourning the loss of Willow, the cheetah who gave birth to five cubs on March 8.
Zoo vets had hoped that the 5-year-old cheetah would recover after a rare C-section at Mast Farm, the zoo’s regional cheetah breeding facility in Clermont County, Ohio. However, she remained lethargic and lost her appetite over the weekend, according to zoo officials.
“Cheetahs are a fragile species, and this difficult birth proved to be too much for her to pull through," Thane Maynard, director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, said in a news release Tuesday. “Willow was able to contribute to the survival of her species by producing five cheetah cubs. Without the C-section, we likely would have lost both the mom and the cubs.”
Mark Campbell, the zoo's director of animal health, said last week that the cubs' birth 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.
It's not all bad news from the zoo: The premature cubs' condition has improved during the last few days, zoo officials said. The cubs — three boys and two girls — have been getting around-the-clock critical care in the zoo's nursery since they were born. There, they've been bottle fed every three hours, and their weight has been monitored closely.
“They really turned a corner this weekend," head nursery keeper Dawn Strasser said in the news release. "They opened their eyes, had good appetites and, most importantly, they pooped! It’s important to keep their digestive system moving. We’ve been massaging their bellies and giving them opportunities to exercise as much as possible.”
Blakely, an Australian shepherd who serves as a nursery companion at the zoo, has been tasked with serving as a surrogate parent of sorts for the cubs.
“His first job is to let the cubs climb on him, which they did as soon as they were put together," Strasser said. "They need the exercise to build muscle tone and get their guts moving."
Later, the dog's role will switch to that of a teacher, helping the cats learn the difference between fighting and playing, for example.
The cubs will stay in the nursery for at least eight weeks. Zoo officials have said that important benchmarks for their survival are the first week, which they've already surpassed, and the first month. Zoo visitors may get a peek at them through the nursery windows, but some of their care will take place out of public view.
Once they leave the nursery, the cubs will be hand-raised and will be trained as cheetah ambassadors, which visit schools to let students learn about the animals up close.
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 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 Cheetah Species Survival Plan.
Fifty-four cheetah cubs have been born at Mast Farm since it opened in 2002.
Follow Shauna Steigerwald on Twitter: @shaunaincincy
