可以在实时猎豹网络摄像头上查看幼崽-猎豹幼崽出生在史密森尼保护生物学研究所
弗吉尼亚州弗朗特皇家史密森尼保护生物学研究所的食肉动物饲养员今天迎来了一窝五只猎豹幼崽。美国东部时间上午
5:20、8:24、9:42、10:33 和 11:17，五岁的雌性罗莎莉产下了幼崽。可以通过 Cheetah Cub Cam 查看这个家庭。
10 岁的尼克是 SCBI
出生的第一只猎豹，他生下了这窝。动物护理人员会让罗莎莉在不受干扰的情况下与她的幼崽建立联系并照顾它们，因此他们可能需要一段时间才能确定幼崽的性别。幼崽看起来很强壮，很活跃，声音很好，吃得很好。当罗莎莉愿意长时间离开幼崽时，饲养员将对幼崽进行健康检查。
工作人员正在通过网络摄像头密切监视罗莎莉和她的幼崽的行为。虚拟访客可以在这个临时平台上观察罗莎莉和她的幼崽，直到幼崽离开巢穴。饲养员为罗莎莉提供了进入多个窝点的机会，因此她有可能将幼崽移到镜头外的位置。
“看到 Rosalie 成功地照料这窝崽崽——这是她的第一只——充满信心，这是非常值得的，”SCBI
的猎豹生殖生物学家兼动物园和水族馆协会猎豹物种生存计划负责人 Adrienne Crosier 说。
“能够见证猎豹生命的最初时刻是非常特别的。当网络摄像头观众观看我们的猎豹家族成长、玩耍和探索周围环境时，我们希望这种体验能给他们带来快乐，并帮助他们与这个脆弱的物种建立更深层次的联系。
”
SCBI 是猎豹繁育中心联盟的一部分，该联盟由遍布美国的 10 个猎豹繁育中心组成，旨在创造和维持人类照料下的可持续北美猎豹种群。这些幼崽是 Cheetah SSP 的重要补充，因为每个人都为该计划做出了贡献。
SSP
科学家通过考虑基因组成、健康和气质等因素来确定要繁殖哪些动物。罗莎莉和尼克在 7 月 9 日和 10
日配对并繁殖。饲养员训练罗莎莉自愿参加超声波检查，SCBI 兽医于 8 月 16 日确认她怀孕。自 2007 年以来，SCBI 已经出生了 16
窝猎豹幼崽。
猎豹生活在小型、孤立的种群中，主要分布在撒哈拉以南非洲。他们的许多据点位于非洲东部和南部的公园。由于人类冲突、偷猎以及栖息地和猎物基地的丧失，野外估计只剩下 7,000 至 7,500 只猎豹。国际自然保护联盟认为猎豹很容易灭绝。
动物园的保护工作遗产从华盛顿特区的公共动物园延伸到弗吉尼亚州皇家前线的
SCBI。 SCBI 的科学家研究并培育了 20 多个物种，其中包括一些曾经在野外灭绝的物种，例如黑足雪貂和弯刀角羚羊。动物在占地超过
3,200
英亩的专业谷仓和建筑群中茁壮成长。广阔的环境允许进行独特的研究，这些研究有助于具有独特需求的受威胁、难以繁殖的物种的生存，特别是那些需要大面积、自然群体规模和最小公共干扰的物种。
SCBI 在其弗吉尼亚州总部、华盛顿特区的动物园以及世界各地的实地研究站和培训地点率先开展研究项目。 SCBI 科学家通过应用和分享他们在动物行为和繁殖、生态学、遗传学、迁徙和保护可持续性方面的知识来应对当今一些最复杂的保护挑战。
Cheetah Cubs Are Born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Cubs Can Be Viewed on the Live Cheetah Webcam
Oct. 12, 2021
Animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute welcomed a litter of five cheetah cubs to mother Rosalie Oct. 12.
Carnivore keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, welcomed a litter of five cheetah cubs today. Five-year-old female Rosalie birthed the cubs at 5:20 a.m., 8:24 a.m., 9:42 a.m., 10:33 a.m and 11:17 a.m. ET. The family can be viewed via the Cheetah Cub Cam. Ten-year-old Nick, who was the first cheetah born at SCBI, sired this litter. Animal care staff will leave Rosalie to bond with and care for her cubs without interference, so it may be some time before they can determine the cubs' sexes. The cubs appear to be strong, active, vocal and eating well. Keepers will perform a health check on the cubs when Rosalie is comfortable leaving them for an extended period of time.
Staff are closely monitoring Rosalie and her cubs’ behaviors via webcam. Virtual visitors can observe Rosalie and her cubs on this temporary platform until the cubs leave the den. Keepers provided Rosalie with access to multiple dens, so it is possible she may move the cubs to an off-camera location.
"Seeing Rosalie successfully care for this litter—her first—with confidence is very rewarding," said Adrienne Crosier, cheetah reproductive biologist at SCBI and head of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Cheetah Species Survival Plan. "Being able to witness the first moments of a cheetah’s life is incredibly special. As webcam viewers watch our cheetah family grow, play and explore their surroundings, we hope the experience brings them joy and helps them feel a deeper connection to this vulnerable species."
SCBI is part of the Cheetah Breeding Center Coalition—a group of 10 cheetah breeding centers across the United States that aim to create and maintain a sustainable North American cheetah population under human care. These cubs are a significant addition to the Cheetah SSP, as each individual contributes to this program.
The SSP scientists determine which animals to breed by considering their genetic makeup, health and temperament, among other factors. Rosalie and Nick were paired and bred July 9 and 10. Keepers trained Rosalie to voluntarily participate in ultrasounds, and SCBI veterinarians confirmed her pregnancy Aug. 16. Since 2007, 16 litters of cheetah cubs have been born at SCBI.
Cheetahs live in small, isolated populations mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Many of their strongholds are in eastern and southern African parks. Due to human conflict, poaching and habitat and prey-base loss, there are only an estimated 7,000 to 7,500 cheetahs left in the wild. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers cheetahs vulnerable to extinction.
The Zoo’s legacy of conservation work extends beyond the public Zoo in Washington, D.C., to SCBI in Front Royal, Virginia. Scientists at SCBI study and breed more than 20 species, including some that were once extinct in the wild, such as black-footed ferrets and scimitar-horned oryx. Animals thrive in specialized barns and building complexes spread over more than 3,200 acres. The sprawling environment allows for unique studies that contribute to the survival of threatened, difficult-to-breed species with distinct needs, especially those requiring large areas, natural group sizes and minimal public disturbance.
SCBI spearheads research programs at its headquarters in Virginia, the Zoo in Washington, D.C., and at field research stations and training sites worldwide. SCBI scientists tackle some of today’s most complex conservation challenges by applying and sharing what they learn about animal behavior and reproduction, ecology, genetics, migration and conservation sustainability.
