CINCINNATI — A second of the Cincinnati Zoo's five premature cheetah cubs died this week.
The male cub died Wednesday night. Another male, the runt of the litter, died March 28. Their mother, a 5-year-old cheetah named Willow, also did not survive.
Cincinnati Zoo staff delivered the five cubs — three boys and two girls — via a rare C-section at Mast Farm, its regional cheetah breeding facility in Clermont County, Ohio, on March 8. They've been receiving round-the-clock care in the zoo's nursery since their birth.
The zoo posted the news on its website.
“All of the cubs have struggled with digestive issues," Dr. Mark Campbell, the zoo's director of animal health, said in the post. "Their weight gain has been inconsistent, up one day and down the next. The cubs are now teething, so getting enough calories into them is even more challenging. Their gums hurt, which makes feedings uncomfortable.”
Zoo Director Thane Maynard added in the post: “The cubs’ condition has been guarded since day one. They lack immunities that their mother’s milk would have provided, making them more susceptible to infection and less able to overcome what would normally be minor developmental issues. While not entirely unexpected, the loss of this 5-week-old cub has been particularly hard on zoo staff.”
After the mother's death, Blakely, an Australian shepherd who serves as a nursery companion at the zoo, was tasked with serving as a surrogate parent of sorts for the cubs.
Campbell said in March that the cubs' birth was only the third C-section he had been involved in, and the only one on a cheetah, during his 25 years at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Follow Shauna Steigerwald on Twitter: @shaunaincincy
