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Nursery Dog Steps in as Surrogate Parent to Cheetah Cubs at the Cincinnati Zoo
Source: Cincinnati Zoo
NURSERY DOG STEPS IN AS SURROGATE PARENT TO CHEETAH CUBS AT THE CINCINNATI ZOO
MARCH 22, 2016
CINCINNATI, OH (March 22, 2016) – Willow, mother of the five cheetah cubs born via C-section at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Cheetah Breeding Facility on March 8, has passed away. Zoo vets were hopeful that the five-year-old cheetah would make a full recovery following surgery, but she remained lethargic and lost her appetite over the weekend.
“Cheetahs are a fragile species and this difficult birth proved to be too much for her to pull through” said Thane Maynard, Director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. “Willow was able to contribute to the survival of her species by producing five cheetah cubs. Without the C-section, we likely would have lost both the mom and the cubs.”
The cubs have been receiving critical care in the Zoo’s nursery since they were born. Nursery staff have been bottle-feeding the premature cubs every three hours and closely monitoring their weight. Australian shepherd “Blakely,” the Zoo’s resident nursery companion and former nanny to several Zoo babies, has been called into action to provide snuggling, comfort and a body to climb.
“They really turned a corner this weekend. They opened their eyes, had good appetites and, most importantly, they pooped!” said Head Nursery Keeper Dawn Strasser of the cubs. “It’s important to keep their digestive system moving. We’ve been massaging their bellies and giving them opportunities to exercise as much as possible.”
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MARCH 22, 2016
CINCINNATI, OH (March 22, 2016) – Willow, mother of the five cheetah cubs born via C-section at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Cheetah Breeding Facility on March 8, has passed away. Zoo vets were hopeful that the five-year-old cheetah would make a full recovery following surgery, but she remained lethargic and lost her appetite over the weekend.
“Cheetahs are a fragile species and this difficult birth proved to be too much for her to pull through” said Thane Maynard, Director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. “Willow was able to contribute to the survival of her species by producing five cheetah cubs. Without the C-section, we likely would have lost both the mom and the cubs.”
The cubs have been receiving critical care in the Zoo’s nursery since they were born. Nursery staff have been bottle-feeding the premature cubs every three hours and closely monitoring their weight. Australian shepherd “Blakely,” the Zoo’s resident nursery companion and former nanny to several Zoo babies, has been called into action to provide snuggling, comfort and a body to climb.
“They really turned a corner this weekend. They opened their eyes, had good appetites and, most importantly, they pooped!” said Head Nursery Keeper Dawn Strasser of the cubs. “It’s important to keep their digestive system moving. We’ve been massaging their bellies and giving them opportunities to exercise as much as possible.”
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Read more: http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/2016/03/22/nursery-dog-steps-in-as-surrogate-parent-to-cheetah-cubs-at-the-cincinnati-zoo/
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