COLUMBUS, Ohio — Last month, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium made history by welcoming two cheetah cubs into the world via in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer into a surrogate mother. Now, the babies are beginning to try new food—and it’s adorable to watch.
The zoo shared a video of the two cubs trying turkey baby food for the first time and it will make your heart melt. Watch the video below:
After the zoo noticed the female cub was not gaining enough weight, the decision was made to hand-rear the cubs for the best chance at survival. Now, both the male and female, that are still unnamed, are gaining weight. The zoo said they’re both in great shape.
The Columbus Zoo began the IVF process in November when the female cheetah cubs with given hormone injections. Eggs were taken from cheetahs Isabelle and Kibibi, neither of which had reproduced before. The eggs were fertilized with male cheetahs that same day.
Shortly after being fertilized, nine embryos were implanted in Isabelle and six were implanted in a cheetah named Ophelia. About a month later, on Dec. 23, Isabella was confirmed to be pregnant with two cubs.
The cubs’ delivery marked the first-ever birth of this nature for the species.
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