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Saudi Arabia Celebrates Birth of 4 Cheetah Cubs, Unveils Ambitious Conservation Strategy

The birth of the four cheetah cubs coincides with the launch of the National Cheetah Conservation Strategy. SPA
The birth of the four cheetah cubs coincides with the launch of the National Cheetah Conservation Strategy. SPA
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Saudi Arabia Celebrates Birth of 4 Cheetah Cubs, Unveils Ambitious Conservation Strategy

The birth of the four cheetah cubs coincides with the launch of the National Cheetah Conservation Strategy. SPA
The birth of the four cheetah cubs coincides with the launch of the National Cheetah Conservation Strategy. SPA

The National Center for Wildlife (NCW) has announced a major breakthrough in its Cheetah Conservation Program: the birth of four cheetah cubs, which coincides with the launch of the National Cheetah Conservation Strategy that marks a significant milestone for the initiative spearheaded by Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture and NCW Board Chairman Eng. Abdulrahman AlFadley last year.

"The official launch of the National Cheetah Conservation Strategy, and the announcement of the birth of four cheetah cubs, signifies an important achievement in our conservation efforts,”
NCW CEO Dr. Mohammed Qurban said in a statement.

“This strategy reflects our unwavering commitment to ensuring a sustainable future for wild cheetahs in their natural habitats in the Kingdom."

Qurban added that the birth of these cubs is especially momentous given the cheetah's absence from the Arabian Peninsula for over four decades.

"Our recent discovery of ancient cheetah mummies in northern Saudi Arabia underscores the region's historical role as a prime cheetah habitat," he said.
Qurban stressed the discovery will fuel the determination to reestablish cheetah populations, "guided by an integrated strategy designed in line with best international practices.”

According to the statement, "the strategy sets ambitious goals for reintroduction through successful captive breeding, strategic site selection, and community engagement in wildlife conservation.”

Rigorous monitoring after the reintroduction aims to ensure the cheetah population's sustainability.
Structured across multiple phases, the strategy's first phase focuses on breeding, habitat conservation, and environmental assessment. Subsequent phases involve experimental releases of captive-bred cheetahs and widespread reintroduction, with population monitoring.
Given the global challenge of cheetah conservation — with only 15% of wild-born cheetahs successfully breeding in captivity, and just 20% of those continuing to produce offspring — Saudi Arabia's achievement in having four cheetah cubs born and launching the National Cheetah Conservation Strategy underscores the Kingdom's commitment to biodiversity preservation, including the protection of endangered species and the ambitious goal of reintroducing previously extinct ones.

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7-month-old Tree Kangaroo Peeks Out of Mom's Pouch at Bronx Zoo

This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
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7-month-old Tree Kangaroo Peeks Out of Mom's Pouch at Bronx Zoo

This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)
This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)

The second baby of a tree-dwelling kangaroo made its public debut this week in New York, poking its pink head out of its mom's furry white pouch.

The tiny Matschie’s tree kangaroo, or Dendrolagus matschiei, was born in December and is the second born to the same mother since 2022. It also was the third of its kind born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008, The Associated Press reported.

The tree kangaroo species only gestate for about six weeks before they are born and immediately crawl into their marsupial moms' pouches, the zoo said in a statement. It takes around seven months for the young to start peeking out of the pouch.

There are only around 2,500 tree kangaroos in the wild and 42 in captivity, the zoo said. In a statement Friday, a Bronx Zoo spokesperson said that the kangaroo's birth was significant for the network of zoos that aims to preserve genetic diversity among endangered animals.

"It's a small population and because of that births are not very common," said Jessica Moody, curator of primates and small mammals at the Bronx Zoo. “So it's a rare and exciting event,” adding that baby tree kangaroos are “possibly one of the cutest animals to have ever lived. They look like stuffed animals, it's amazing.”

The tree kangaroos are native to the Huon Peninsula in Papua New Guinea, where they are threatened by human activities such as habitat destruction and hunting, the statement said. They live primarily in trees and are smaller than Australia’s better-known red kangaroo. An adult tree kangaroo weighs between 20 and 25 pounds (9–11 kilograms). The joeys are about the size of a human thumb when they are born, but grow to as long as 30 inches (76 centimeters).