#CheetahCubdate 14: The Cubs Have Names!

Say hello to our newly named cheetah cubs: 3D, Kushoma, Zura, Kuba and Kuki!

Males 3D and Kushoma were named by two generous donors. The name 3D has great significance to the donor’s family. It reflects the creative, unconventional and mischievous spirit they saw in the cheetah cubs. Kushoma means rare in Shona. The Shona language is spoken in Zimbabwe, which is one of the  countries where the Southern African cheetah population is found.  Other countries include Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique.

Two of Rosalie’s other cubs also have Shona names. Smithsonian National Zoo members voted to name one of the female cubs “Zura” and the third male cub “Kuba.” Zura means sun and Kuba means stealthy.

The fifth cub, Kuki, was named by us cheetah keepers, who were inspired by names submitted by elementary school classes. Her name means cookie in Swahili.

In addition to receiving names, Rosalie’s cubs got a clean bill of health during their last “cub” exam on February 2. As I mentioned in our last update, the cubs are too big to handle at this point – and they do not want to be held.

Using positive reinforcement training, we have successfully gotten the cubs to voluntarily step on the adult scale in exchange for a favorite treat, such as beef blood from a squeeze bottle! As of February 18, they weighed between 19 and 24 pounds, which is about average for 18-week-old cheetah cubs.

Next, we will train the cubs to voluntarily receive their flea and tick prevention medication and their vaccinations. This starts with introducing the cubs to a pole with a syringe attached to the end and getting them used to eating in the building stalls. We will use something called a sideboard — a piece of wood that makes the stall smaller — to direct the cubs, one at a time, to stay close to the mesh so we can easily inject any medicine or treatments while still rewarding them.

Despite how big the cubs are now, Rosalie has remained a very tolerant mother. If you tune into the Cheetah Cub Cam you might catch the cubs climbing up and sleeping on her as if she’s a giant pillow! I think she’s one of our most patient cheetah mothers we’ve had.

A behavior you won’t catch on the webcam is the cubs climbing trees! Cheetahs are sight hunters —meaning they use their eyes to look for prey rather than just relying on their sense of smell — so they like to be high up to survey their surroundings. In the wild, they will climb both trees and termite mounds to look for prey and predators. Here at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, we have artificial dirt mounds in all our cheetahs’ yards. Our adults will also sit on top of their dens but very rarely will attempt to climb trees.

Speaking of our adults, I am so excited to share that as of February 15, all of our adult cheetahs are fully vaccinated against COVID-19! Rosalie’s cubs are still too young for the vaccine but will receive theirs with their other 1-year vaccinations in October.

In the near future, we are looking forward to introducing the cubs to Kong toys and possibly a new cheetah neighbor, as some of our adults will be moved into different yards! Until then, keep an eye on the Cheetah Cub Cam to spot more adorable moments between Rosalie, Kuba, Kuki, Kushoma, 3D and Zura.