Cheetah cubs born through IVF for first time
POWELL, Ohio -- Those two cheetah cubs aren't just the cuteness overload you needed today, they also made history.
So what makes them special? The cubs were born through in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer into a surrogate mother at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
The two cubs were delivered Wednesday by Izzy, who's a first-time mom; but the cubs' biological mother is named Kibibi. The two cubs haven't been named yet.
It's the third attempt but the first successful birth, and the zoo says it took careful planning "and innovative medical expertise."
Why does it matter? The Columbus Zoo says the achievement "brings the potential to help ensure the survival of cheetahs in their native range," adding that scientists have been trying to boost the numbers of the species. The zoo did note, however, that the last successful attempt to artificially inseminate a cheetah happened nearly two decades ago, in 2003.
Along with the Columbus Zoo, the effort was led by the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.
See a video of the cubs and their surrogate mother:
