The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium announced Monday that one of its cheetahs has given birth to the world’s first cubs ever to be conceived through in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. Biologists from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, performed the procedure.
The first cheetah cubs ever conceived through in vitro fertilization have been born at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, marking a breakthrough for zoo breeding programs.
The zoo announced the births early Monday. The two cubs, a male and a female, were born Wednesday night to 3-year-old, first-time mother Isabelle, whom keepers call “Izzy.” The cubs are healthy and bonding together in a den behind the scenes of the zoo.