This Cheetah Had Strange Birth To Cubs, Her Adorable Litter All Broke Records In The Animal Kingdom

The wild populations of cheetahs around the world are dramatically declining, so any cheetah birth is a reason to celebrate. When female Bingwa welcomed her litter at St. Louis Zoo in 2017, however, her record-breaking cubs were even more special than usual. St. Louis Zoo in Missouri first opened in 1910, and with over a century's worth of experience, the facility has likely seen it all when it comes to the creatures in its care. However, in 2017, staff there were in for an almighty shock. The establishment's latest surprise actually came courtesy of its four-year-old cheetah, Bingwa. The big cat, whose name is Swahili for champion, had been loaned to St. Louis Zoo from Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, and she soon set about making waves in her latest home. After Bingwa arrived at the zoo, you see, she mated with nine-year-old cheetah Jason, who was on loan from White Oak Conservation in Yulee, Florida. And lo and behold, her keepers later discovered that Bingwa was expecting a litter. Cheetah pregnancies generally last about three months, after which time the mothers would be charged with caring for their babies alone. Interestingly, the absent fathers can actually pose a significant problem in the wild. That's because the mothers are forced to leave their cubs unattended while they go hunting, and this makes the babies susceptible to threats. So, while a litter of cheetahs will usually consist of three or four cubs, it's unlikely that they'll all reach adulthood in the wild. In fact, given that their mothers are forced to leave their cubs a lot of the time, mortality rates among the young are as high as 90%. Since she lived in a controlled environment, though, Bingwa didn't need to worry about straying from her litter for too long. Zoo staff would continue to supply her with food, after all, so she could spend more time rearing her cubs. In fact, Bingwa and her babies would be in expert hands. That's because St. Louis Zoo is a major breeding facility for cheetahs, having welcomed over 50 cubs at its specialist center since 1974. So, after Bingwa has welcomed her babies, staff would closely monitor the family during the critical first few months. Yet, while the mother's life is easier than her counterparts in the wild, little did she know that she'd still have her paws full. You see, when Bingwa actually gave birth to her babies in November 2017, she welcomed a total of 8 cubs. This litter size, which consisted of 3 males and 5 females, was a first for St. Louis Zoo and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, or AZA. In fact, never before had a mom a cheetah delivered and reared a litter of 8 babies at a zoo, according to research by the AZA. And those at St. Louis were eager to celebrate Bingwa's amazing achievement online. Yet, despite the excitement, the facility waited until January 2018 to announce the news. In its Facebook post, St. Louis Zoo wrote, For the first time in St. Louis Zoo history, a cheetah has given birth to 8 cheetah cubs. The cubs, 3 males and 5 females, were born at the St. Louis Zoo River's Edge Cheetah Breeding Center on November 26, 2017. The post continued with a quick update in the family. Mother and cubs are doing well and will remain in their private indoor maternity den behind the scenes at River's Edge for the next several months, it read. The 8 births were also particularly significant considering the challenges that are facing wild cheetahs. The wild cats were once found across large swaths of Africa and Asia, but in the past five decades, they have become extinct in 13 countries. By breeding cheetahs in captivity, then, zoos claim to help to protect the species from extinction, and St. Louis Zoo has a center in Africa that is leading conservation efforts there too. Working with local partners, the African team also helps to resolve human-cheetah conflicts, conduct research, and provide education. So, while St. Louis Zoo worked on preserving her species' future, Bingwa was busy being a mom, and luckily, she was a natural. She has quickly become adept at caring for her very large litter of cubs, grooming, nursing, and caring for them attentively, Steve Bircher from St. Louis Zoo told People in January 2018. So, in becoming the mother of a record-breaking eight healthy babies, Bingwa has truly lived up to her champion name. Now, then, the zoo staff had to find suitable monikers for her litter, and once again, they turned to the Swahili language for inspiration. Rather than trying to find names to suit all the cubs' personalities, though, their carers took a more straightforward approach. They named the babies Moha, Mbili, Tatu, Nge, Tano, Sita, Saba, and Nane, the numbers 1 to 8 in Swahili. For the first month of their lives, the eight cubs remained in their special maternity wing with their mom. But when the babies reached six weeks old, they slowly started exploring outside of their protected environment. Later, in May 2018, keepers gave the then five-month-old cubs access to their full habitat. Since May, too, the public has been able to view the young cheetahs at the zoo, and judging from the response they've had on social media, they've already become firm favorites.