Australian Zoo Successfully Introduces Abandoned Cheetah Cub to Another Mother's Litter
A cheetah cub born at Monarto Safari Park in South Australia has been successfully introduced into its aunt’s litter after being abandoned by its mother.
The single cub was born to seven-year-old Quella in Monarto Safari Park on March 5 but was abandoned shortly thereafter.
Zoos SA hospital manager Dianne Hakof said big cats sometimes abandon single cubs due to issues with lactation.
“With cheetah cubs, if the mother only has one or two cubs, her ability to have lactation the whole way through that rearing event is diminished so sometimes at about three weeks old (…) the mom’s milk dries up and she can’t feed them anymore,” Hakof said.
Luckily, Quella’s sister Qailee was due to give birth to two cubs on March 12. Quella’s cub was hand-reared for eight days with the hope it could join Qailee’s litter.
On March 14, shortly after Qailee gave birth to her litter, staff at Zoos SA attempted to join the cubs.
Keepers tried to make the foster cub smell like Qailee’s litter by rubbing it with straw and urine from Qailee’s cubs, Zoos SA said.
“Within 24 hours she was feeding all three cubs,” Hakof said. “She can now feed all three cubs the whole way until they’re weaned rather than us actually doing any of the hand-rearing.”
Zoos SA said they believed the successful introduction of the foster cub was a first in Australasia. The zoo took guidance from White Oak Conservation in the United States, who have previously successfully joined cheetah litters.
The cheetah cubs will go on exhibit when they are around three months old, Zoos SA said. Credit: Zoos SA via Storyful
相關影片推薦
- 1:18美馬戲團大象逃脫 穿梭車陣民眾驚呼 馬路秒變野生動物園Yahoo奇摩(國際通)32,356 次觀看・1 天前
- 6:11強震來臨這3個縣市最危險 李鴻源曝災防都更因「票房毒藥」難行今天誰來沛265,829 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:53加拿大史上最大黃金盜竊案逮6人 加航「內鬼」偽造空運單 400公斤黃金恐已熔化售出Yahoo奇摩(國際通)37,806 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:13柯建銘質詢一半突喊「我看不到」計時器 透露眼睛病變華視影音8,234 次觀看・1 天前
- 2:02英國女遊台南「喝全糖珍奶」 嚇壞驚呼:天大錯誤華視影音315,163 次觀看・2 天前
- 1:1126歲抗癌網紅因胃癌去世 生命最後5個月沒吃沒喝娛樂星聞60,520 次觀看・3 天前
- 1:15謝和弦不認偷吃陳芳語嗆前妻記錯人!自爆出軌對象是「她」秒遭Keanna打臉娛樂星聞16,499 次觀看・1 天前
- 23:55台積電法說會登場 投資人關心加碼美國新廠風險 但面對拜登和川普搶當美國保護主義隊長 川普幕僚密謀促貶美元 拜登祭301調查要提高中國商品關稅 台積電等於買了保險|鏡轉全球 #鏡鏡新聞1,190 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:17情侶吵架「氣到跳車」 女友摔翻滾5圈慘死|#鏡新聞鏡新聞2,593 次觀看・2 天前
- 1:41土耳其「身障狗狗列車」出動 天天載毛孩外出兜風、感受世界風光Yahoo奇摩(國際通)62,989 次觀看・1 天前