Five Cheetah Cubs Receive Clean Bill of Health After First Veterinary Exam

The five cheetah cubs born May 28 at the National Zoo’s Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., are healthy and thriving, veterinarians reported after the cubs’ first exam on July 12. The six week-old cubs each weigh between 4 and 5 pounds and are growing quickly.  

The veterinary team performed full physical examinations to make sure none of the cubs had any abnormalities. They were given their first vaccinations to protect against respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses, both of which commonly affect cheetahs.

To download photos of the cubs, visit the National Zoo’s Flickr page>. To follow the Zoo’s breeding program and progress in caring for the cubs, read the updates from SCBI’s cheetah keepers and check for news on the Zoo’s Twitter feed and Facebook page.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute serves as an umbrella for the Smithsonian Institution’s global effort to understand and conserve species and train future generations of conservationists. Headquartered in Front Royal, Va., SCBI facilitates and promotes research programs based at Front Royal, the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and at field research stations and training sites worldwide.