Watch Five Adorable Newborn Cheetah Cubs Grow on a Livestream From the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute

The healthy and active babies are being cared for by first-time mother Zura, and the public can keep up with their antics through an online cheetah cub cam

Carlyn Kranking | Associate Web Editor, Science

October 9, 2026 5:05 p.m.

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Safe in their den, a new litter of cheetah cubs curls up for nap time. One extends an arm and leg in a big stretch, and another stumbles over its siblings to nurse. Five tiny bodies are piled together, one black-spotted coat blending into another.

In a milestone for cheetah conservation, the five cubs were born on October 5 at the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia. When they’re not snoozing, the healthy, young cats are active—they started climbing on their mother on day one.

“Because there’s five of them, somebody’s usually nursing,” Adrienne Crosier, a cheetah biologist and curator of carnivores at the Conservation Biology Institute, tells Smithsonian magazine. “Somebody’s always hungry. Somebody always needs to be groomed. Somebody always needs a bath.”

Zura, who at 5 years old is a first-time mother, has taken it all in stride. She’s an incredibly calm and attentive parent, and she’s dedicating almost every moment of her time to the cubs. Today, she ventured out of the den to get a bite to eat for the first time since their birth.

“That’s very, very normal,” Crosier explains. “But we obviously were happy that she came out, got some food, got some water, and then she went right back to the den with the cubs.”

Born with their eyes closed and ears shut, cheetah cubs are completely dependent on their mothers for survival. It typically takes about four to seven days before they open their eyes, and their ears—initially “flat against their little heads,” Crosier says—will stand up days later.

For now, the care staff is hands-off with the cubs, letting the feline family bond without interference. But they’re keeping a close eye on the cheetah cub cam, which shows scenes from within the den. The online live stream also gives viewers around the world a special window into the animals’ lives, especially since the Front Royal facility is closed to the public.

The cubs will grow rapidly as they nurse. They’ll put on about 50 grams of weight daily—something between a golf ball and an egg. After about three or four weeks, they’ll start to grow curious when Zura leaves the den to eat or drink, gathering at the door when she exits. “They’re going to want to start following her outside,” Crosier says.

Eventually, animal care staff will come into the den and look at the cheetahs to make sure they seem healthy. They’ll pick up a cub, bring it outside to a scale to get its weight, then deposit it back with the family a few minutes later. Staff will mark each baby with a small shave mark in the fur so that they can tell them all apart. At six weeks, they’ll have their first vet exam and vaccinations, and they’ll get transponders implanted for more reliable identification.

Zura herself was born at the institute in 2021, and her mother and grandmother are also at the facility. With the newest litter, that makes four generations of the family in the biologists’ care. The cubs’ 9-year-old father, Flash, also at the institute, has sired seven cubs from previous litters. Cheetah fathers are not involved with raising the youngsters.

Cheetahs are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and their global population has plunged by more than 90 percent since 1900. Human activity has fragmented their wild populations, but the cats had been struggling with low genetic diversity since around the end of the last ice age, when an extinction event drove several cheetah species to disappear.

The Conservation Biology Institute breeds cheetahs in accordance with the Cheetah Species Survival Plan, established by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Through this initiative, ten facilities across the country select which cheetahs should breed together based on their DNA, temperament, health and other factors. Careful “matchmaking,” which sometimes involves cheetahs traveling hundreds of miles between facilities to meet their possible mate, aims to promote genetic diversity in the population and “produce offspring with the best possible chance of living a healthy life,” per the Smithsonian.

The newborn cubs’ father is considered genetically valuable in this program, so the little cheetahs will likely have a big role to play in the future of their species.

With these cubs, the Conservation Biology Institute has now reached 90 cheetah births at the facility, representing 21 litters.

“Every litter is so important,” Crosier says. “Every cheetah that’s born is an ambassador for its species and … can contribute in the future, potentially, to help with the conservation of the animals in the wild.”

Carlyn Kranking is Smithsonian magazine's associate web editor for science.