WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Anything but camera shy, the frisky cheetah cubs at the National Zoo, who are already playing follow-the-leader and romping around in the snow, will be making their formal debut to the public on Saturday.
The cubs, two boys and two girls, were born two weeks ago. This is the first litter for four-year-old mother Tumai who has been bonding with her cubs off-exhibit for the last month.
"I think people are going to say these are the cutest cubs they've ever seen no matter if their playing or sleeping," said animal keeper Craig Saffoe, who hopes visitors will also take the time to learn more about the cats.
Saffoe, who has worked at the National Zoo for the last 11 years as a cheetah keeper, was on duty monitoring the cubs the night they were born.
On a daily basis, Saffoe takes care of both mother and her cubs. He says that since he has been at the zoo, there have been 15 cats and currently there are nine including the cubs.
"[The experience] has been phenomenal," he said. "I can't even put it into words. The best thing is that [Tumai] has been such a great mom. It's been effortless for us because we were worried that she would neglect her cubs and we'd have to come in and hand-rear them."
According to veterinarian Carlos Sanchez, who has been at the zoo for the last four years, says that both the mother and cubs are healthy. Sanchez has been looking after the cats since the birth.
As of Monday, the cubs weigh about 10 pounds and are examined every two weeks since they were born, and already one of the females is feisty when we examine her, says Sanchez. This includes taking blood samples to monitor immunologic response to vaccination. These studies, conducted on other cheetahs at the zoo, are among a number studies used to clarify cheetah biology as well as physiology.
The small cubs still have their baby teeth and fuzzy baby hair and Sanchez says it will take them seven months to a year before they are fully grown.
According to Sanchez, the staff are able to determine the different of the gender because of a patch of clipped hair on the left or right front or back leg of the cubs. Males had a patch on the back of one of their legs while females had a patch on one of the front legs.
What makes these cheetah cubs interesting to research experts are that their mother's conception was of importance for reproductive scientists studying the cheetah species. These are the first ever cheetah cubs, naturally born, right at the zoo.
Tumai was found to be pregnant 93 days after mating with a male cheetah from another zoo. Her conception was natural instead of other methods such as artificial insemination.
"This really exemplifies what 25 years of research can accomplish," said Dr. Jo Gayle Howard who has been involved in reproductive research primarily with endangered animals. She is a leading figure in developing successful sperm processing and artificial insemination protocols for rare carnivore species. Howard has been at the zoo for the last 25 years as well, since the time the zoo became committed to cheetah conversation.
The zoo's researchers along with the National Cancer Institute first reported 25 years ago that the lack of genetic variation in the cheetahs contributed to reproductive problems and disease.
The zoo first successful developed a successful method of freezing and preserving cheetah sperm, which resulted in the first surviving litter of cheetah cubs caused by artificial insemination. One of those cubs from the litter stills remains at the zoo. So far, they've had 10 successful artificial inseminations cases.
Moreover, zoo researchers also have successfully transported and used frozen semen from wild cheetahs in Africa, said Howard who mentioned that there have been 3 litters to have resulted from this method.
She also says that they have made strides in understanding methods of mating such as studying hormones extracted from feces. She mentioned that some key elements should be some competition between two males for a female. But she says, that they have also learned over time what not to do, like sticking two cheetahs together and expecting them to mate.
In addition, Howard says that although cheetahs live from 12 to 15 years, infertility is greater within eight years, so younger animals are needed to breed.
The zoo also has a partnership with the organization Cheetah Conservation Fund that collaborates with African farmers in ways to deal with cheetahs without killing them. This includes using guard dogs or donkeys to scare off a cheetah from their livestock. Both organizations work together to record data and collect sperm from wild cheetahs, to diversify the gene pool. So far, there is an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 cheetahs in the wild today.
The zoo has also developed the Global Cheetah Forum, an African-based network that ensures the survival of the cheetah species. It is currently working with several organizations to implement the first cheetah census in Africa in 30 years.
The cubs will not stay long term at the zoo, but placement will be determined by the Species Survival Plan -- a breeding and conservative program with zoos throughout North America.
