Cheetah Cubs Head for the Public: the Litter Consists Mostly of Males

Young cheetahs have a surprisingly varied repertoire of sounds: they hiss, growl, chirp and even gurgle, with some of their vocalisations sounding more like birds than carnivores. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

“From 2020 onwards, the European cheetah population under human care went through a worrying decline. Only this year has the population curve begun to turn upwards again,” says Curator of Mammals, Pavel Brandl. “With this species, every successfully reared cub is crucial.”

The female cheetah unexpectedly chose to give birth in an outdoor enclosure in the zoo’s off-exhibit area. The cubs have therefore been reared naturally from the outset, but this also entails a number of risks, just as it does in the wild. “The cubs went through a period of heavy downpours, protected only by their mother and a tree in the enclosure. At the time, rearing them resembled a fight for survival much as it does for young cheetahs born during the rainy season on the East African plains. In a somewhat tongue-in-cheek way, this led us to wonder whether the cubs’ mantle, whose function is explained by various hypotheses, might actually serve as a sophisticated waterproof raincoat,” he says.

Female cheetahs live solitary lives, while males often form lifelong alliances with their brothers, making cheetahs one of the few cat species that are at least partly social. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

In July, the cubs’ teeth came through, and they began showing an interest in their mother’s food alongside her milk. “We were concerned about whether the inexperienced female would bring food to the cubs in the enclosure or lead them indoors to feed. At first, she was unsure when the cubs wanted to follow her indoors and did not encourage them to do so. Now, on the contrary, the mother calls to them and encourages them to follow her,” Brandl explains.

Young cheetahs are born with a pale, erect mantle along their neck and back. Various hypotheses suggest that it may function as a thermoregulatory mechanism, help conceal them in tall grass, or even be an evolutionary adaptation that makes them resemble the fearless honey badger, which few predators dare to take on. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Another complication was an intestinal infection suffered by the mother at the beginning of August, made more difficult by the fact that the female has been receiving long-term medication to support her digestion. Even then, Daenerys demonstrated her remarkable resilience, which may well have been reflected in her offspring. Despite successfully overcoming all these challenges, the cubs cannot yet be considered fully reared.

Young cheetahs are greyish compared with adults, but they have their characteristic spotted pattern from birth. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Cheetahs are one of Prague Zoo’s traditional species. The first individual, a male named Mignon, arrived from the Kludský Circus in 1933, just two years after the zoo opened. However, it was not until the 1970s that successful breeding began. In 1972, Prague Zoo achieved a world-class success, becoming the first zoo in what was then Czechoslovakia and only the third in the world to successfully rear cheetahs. This achievement can be regarded as one of the ten most significant breeding successes in the history of Prague Zoo, and it will also be commemorated at Prague Zoo’s 95th anniversary celebration on Monday 28 September 2026.

Daenerys, the mother of the current litter of cheetah cubs, has surprised keepers with her attentiveness, and her patience is sure to impress visitors. Photo: Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo