Cheetah Cubs Born at the Zoo | Nature Bites

So you can see they're quite big, quite active. So you're just weighing them? Yeah, just weighing them so that we have, you know, make sure that they're growing properly so far and then, you know, if we notice anything with them in the future, we'll be able to have a figure. Now let's have a look at what you've got. Good job. Okay, what have we got here? Oh, a little bit of wee-wee. All right, that's okay. You're very brave. So you're sexing them as well? Yes. So just trying to have a look. It is difficult when they're small. Now we're just going to do a little microchip. Hey, there we go. Now, there we go. Now, see, all done. No need to panic. That's a good job. Now, sweetie. Oh, feisty. We're going to pop you in here so we can weigh you. All right. Oh, who's got a good weight on them? So at the moment, they're weighing about 126, 120 kilograms. That feisty one there weighed the most of everyone and clearly is big on everything. Yes. But it's looking like we have three males and one female, and it's all the males that are being feisty. It's incredible to get so hands-on at this stage with these cubs. It is. It is. I mean, it's one of those things that it's a pinch yourself moment to remind yourself that this is a great job because the rest of the time it's usually picking up poo. But we don't mind that, do we? No, because we're helping to save these guys. Yes, you. Okay. All righty. Two months ago, Impy gave birth to four cheetah cubs, and they are now brave enough to start exploring. But their natural instincts tell them not to stray too far from mom. In the wild, cheetah cubs have a mortality rate of up to 90%, with lions and hyenas their main predators. Our cheetah cubs are out. Yeah, yeah, they're out and about now. Mom has them out and very active. She's made some sturdy babies. She always does. She does a great job raising them. You can see all that hair on the back. That actually has a purpose in that in the wild, they're meant to look like honey badgers so that when mom leaves them alone, nobody in the wild messes with a honey badger. So it's to keep them away, but it just makes them look incredibly cute. And as they grow, they're still a very attractive cat, but yeah, you can't beat the little baby faces. Kelly, of course, you're famous for your cheetahs here in Fota. What's going to be the next step for these guys? Basically, they're going to stay with mom for another while. We all need our mom. But once they start to reach the two-year mark, then we'll make some decisions. Sean, our director here, is also the stud bookkeeper for all of the northern cheetahs within all the zoos in the European region. So what does that mean? Basically, he knows where all the animals are. He knows their lineage. He knows their DNA, who's related to who. So he can put together the best population, breeding pairs that have the best genetics for the species, because they are very endangered and there's so few of them. We want to make sure that everything we're putting through is biologically very sound. It's wonderful just to be part of something like that and to know that you're making a difference for these animals because they really do need the help.