Cheetah Trio Debuts in Dubbo
April 22, 2017
Three Cheetah cubs made their public debut last week at Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Born on October 20, the cubs, one male and two females, have been growing and developing well behind the scenes under the watchful eye of mother, Kyan.
Photo Credit: Taronga Western Plains Zoo
“The cubs are just over five months old now and are thriving. They are all developing quite distinct personalities and growing in confidence every day,” said zoo keeper Jordan Michelmore.
Keepers have named the three Cheetah cubs. The male has been named Obi, which means “heart” in Nigerian. The females have been named Nyasa, which means “water” in Malawi and Zahara, which translates to “flower” in Swahili.
“It has been a real pleasure watching them grow so far. Obi is very shy whilst Nyasa, the smallest of the trio, is actually the bravest and usually is the first to try new things. Zahara is also quite confident,” said Jordan. “Kyan is becoming a little more relaxed now that the cubs are getting older. She is still quite protective and always keeps a watchful eye on them.”
Read more info and see additional photos of the cubs below.
“The trio are completely on solid food now and generally prefer to spend time together and in close proximity to their mother. They have just started to venture out on to the exhibit and whilst they are a little shy at present, they will continue to grow in confidence and spend more time playing and exploring over the coming weeks,” said Jordan.
Cheetahs are classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, so every birth is extremely valuable to the global population given their low numbers in the wild.