Prague Zoo's cheetah quintuplets thriving after storms and mother's illness

Five cheetah cubs born at Prague Zoo this summer have pulled through a difficult start that included severe weather and a bout of illness affecting their mother, the zoo said on Friday.

The litter of quintuplets — four males and one female — arrived on June 18. Their mother, Daenerys, chose to give birth in an outdoor enclosure, and a spell of strong storms swept across Prague shortly afterwards.

Despite her inexperience as a first-time mother, Daenerys cared for the cubs with what curator Pavel Brandl described as exemplary dedication. She sheltered the five from torrential rain and licked water from their fluffy coats to keep them dry, he said.

Cheetah cubs are fragile in their early months. In the wild, predators claim many of them, and young animals are also susceptible to diseases such as pneumonia. The situation at the zoo grew more precarious in August, when Daenerys came down with an intestinal infection.

Even so, all five cubs appeared lively and healthy on Friday. Brandl cautioned that the danger period is not over. "At this moment, everything seems fine, but it's still a long run," he said, adding that it could take a year before it becomes clear whether the cubs will survive the critical phase after birth.

Conservationists regard each cub as significant for a species threatened with extinction. Cheetahs, the fastest land animals, can reach top speeds of between 70 and 75 mph (112 kph and 120 kph). Fewer than 7,000 are estimated to remain in the wild.