Late yesterday afternoon, you may have been alerted to the fact that we had found out that Salome the cheetah from the Hoedpsruit Endangered Species Centre was due to give birth to her first litter of cubs at some point during the following 24 hours. Her first cub was born at approximately 19h20 last night.

The Hoedpsruit Endangered Species Centre had this update this morning:

Last night May, 2nd Salome (our mother cheetah), gave birth to 3 cubs. Congratulations to her and the brilliant staff of the Hoedpsruit Endangered Species Centre.

In what is believed to be a first of its kind, the Hoedpsruit Endangered Species Centre live-streamed the birth of a litter of cheetah cubs within a specially created “Cheetah Maternity House”.

Salome’s first cub was born at approximately 19h20, followed by a second at just after 21h30. A third cub arrived a little over half an hour later.

Mother and her first-born share a tender moment:

There was speculation that there was to be a fourth, which would have been unusual for a cheetah, but it appears there are just the three cubs.

You can now follow the lives of these cubs as they grow into adulthood, and are eventually reintroduced to the wild.

[Source: Africam]