Two new cheetah cubs now at Lincoln Children’s Zoo
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — You’ll be able to see two new furry friends at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo starting next week.
The Zoo announced the arrival of two cheetah cubs on Thursday. They got to the Zoo from the Wildlife Safari in Oregon on June 19 at just six weeks old as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Cheetah Species Survival Plan (SSP).
“We are excited to welcome these cubs to Lincoln Children’s Zoo and to our ambassador team. Ambassador animals are very important, they’re a great way to get people excited and engaged about vulnerable species such as cheetahs, conservation, and wildlife in general,” said Evan Killeen, Lincoln Children’s Zoo CEO, in a press release on Thursday.
The organization says the cheetahs are a vulnerable species with less than 7,100 left in the world. The animal care team is training the cubs right now with basic manners, desensitization to audio and visual surroundings, and crating utilizing positive reinforcement.
“Training the cheetah cubs to participate in the cheetah run is very enriching for them as it would be natural for their mom in the wild to be teaching them how to chase and catch prey,” said Lissa McCaffree, Lincoln Children’s Zoo General Curator.
The public will be able to see the cubs for the first time on Tuesday, July 11th at 11 a.m. That will be their “show” time daily at the Children’s Zoo.
According to a press release, Lincoln Children’s Zoo will be asking the community for help in the future with naming the two cubs. Keep an eye out on the Zoo’s Facebook page to receive updates on how the cubs are doing, and for the opportunity to provide name suggestions for the new residents.
