The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska, joyfully announces the arrival of four cheetah cubs born on November 4, 2022. Proud parents, mother Clio and father Refu reside at the Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park.
Dr. Jason Herrick, Vice President of Conservation and Animal Health at the zoo, highlights the significance of collaborative efforts among zoos in cheetah breeding.
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He emphasizes the transformation from cheetahs being challenging to breed in captivity to successful breeding, thanks to initiatives like the National Cheetah Breeding Center Coalition, of which the Wildlife Safari Park is a member.
While many might be unaware, the Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park houses a four-acre off-display cheetah breeding facility.
This space provides cheetahs with room to roam, privacy, and a habitat closer to their natural environment.
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is one of the nine accredited National Cheetah Breeding Center Coalition institutions.
Dr. Herrick underlines the importance of choice in cheetah breeding, facilitated by extensive facilities allowing multiple males and females to interact.
This approach has resulted in 29 cubs born at the Wildlife Safari Park since 2014, contributing to a healthy cheetah population in US zoos.
Clio, a 5-year-old cheetah, arrived in Omaha from the White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, Florida, in April 2022.
Refu, an 8-year-old cheetah, joined from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore in March 2019. These cubs mark Refu’s second successful litter.
The attentive first-time mother, Clio, nurtures her cubs with minimal disturbance to aid the bonding process. The cubs are expected to undergo their first veterinary examination on December 19.
Moreover, the zoo is home to five female cheetahs and two males, with cheetahs listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, with only 12,000 to 15,000 remaining in the wild.
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