Cheetahs ~

Our cheetahs arrived from the St. Louis Zoo, where Bingwa gave birth to a record-breaking eight cubs! Bingwa, which means “champion” in Swahili, and two of her daughters now call Oglebay Good Zoo their home.

In the wild, the average litter size for cheetahs is three to four cubs. Cubs typically leave their mom around 18 months old. Female cheetahs are solitary creatures and live alone, but males will form small groups called “coalitions.” But, our female cheetahs have a great relationship. You will often find them lying together in their empty baby pool. We can tell our cheetahs apart by their tails. Bingwa’s tail has a black tip with white rings. Moja (which means “one”) has a white-tipped tail and Nne (which means “four”) has a black-tipped tail and no rings.

Habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict, as well as trade of illegal wildlife parts and exotic pets, have decreased the cheetah population in Africa, leading cheetahs to be classified as vulnerable to extinction.