2026-09-25T10:57:45-0400 / 哥伦比亚广播公司/美联社
布拉格动物园的五只猎豹幼崽在出生后不得不直面极端天气和母兽患病的双重考验，但动物园周五表示，它们目前状况良好。
动物园介绍，这五只于6月18日降生的幼崽，其中四雄一雌，从出生起就处境艰难。
它们的母亲丹尼莉丝选择在一处户外展区分娩，而就在分娩后不久，布拉格遭遇了一轮强风暴天气。
尽管是首次当妈，丹尼莉丝仍在恶劣天气下对首批幼崽展现出了“堪称典范”的悉心照料，动物园称。
园长帕维尔·布兰德介绍，母豹保护了五只幼崽免受暴雨侵袭，还会舔去它们蓬松皮毛上的积水，帮助幼崽保持干燥。
“多亏了母豹的悉心照料，五只幼崽都挺过了这场强降雨，”动物园在一份声明中写道。“在野外环境中，幼崽遭遇浸湿后引发肺炎，再加上天敌捕食，是猎豹幼崽常见的致死原因。不过看起来，这只母豹通过舔舐幼崽标志性的背部长毛上的积水，帮孩子们擦干了身体。”
雪上加霜的是，丹尼莉丝在8月患上了肠道感染。
但尽管困难重重，这五只幼崽在周五看起来依然活泼健康。
“目前来看一切顺利，但前路仍长，”布兰德说道。他表示，可能需要一年时间才能确认它们能否挺过出生后的关键危险期。
“幼崽的母亲总能给我们带来惊喜，”幼崽出生后布兰德曾表示。“它几年前从法国来到这里时，身心状况都很差，当时我还确信我们永远看不到这只母豹繁育后代。”
科学家指出，每一只幼崽对于拯救这个濒临灭绝的物种都至关重要。
猎豹是世界上跑得最快的陆地动物，最高时速可达70至75英里。据估计，野外现存的猎豹数量不足7000只。
动物园称，自2020年以来，欧洲动物园内的猎豹数量已经下降了25%。
“因此，每一只成功繁育的幼崽都是一项成就，也承载着希望，”动物园表示。
去年10月，索马里兰地区有11只猎豹幼崽从非法贸易中被解救出来，一名保护人士将此次行动称为“该物种规模最大的一次缴获行动之一”。
Cheetah cubs survive powerful storms, mother’s illness at Prague Zoo, but curator warns “it’s still a long run”
2026-09-25T10:57:45-0400 / CBS/AP
Five cheetah cubs had to survive a weather scare and the illness of their mother after their birth at the Prague Zoo. But they are doing well now, the zoo said on Friday.
The zoo said the quintuplets — four males and one female — that were born on June 18 had faced a tough time from the start.
Their mother, Daenerys, opted to give birth in an outdoor enclosure with a period of strong storms hitting Prague soon after.
Four of the newly born cheetah quintuplets rest at their enclosure at the zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. AP Photo/Petr David Josek
Despite her inexperience, Daenerys took “exemplary” good care of her first cubs under such weather conditions, the zoo said.
Daenerys protected the five from torrential rains, licking water from their fluffy fur to keep them dry, curator Pavel Brandl said.
“Thanks to the mother’s attentiveness, all five cubs survived the heavy downpours,” the zoo wrote in a statement. “Soaking and subsequent pneumonia — along with predation — are common causes of mortality in cheetah cubs in the wild. It appears, however, that the mother dried her young by licking water from their fluffy coats with a characteristic dorsal mantle.”
One of the newly born cheetah quintuplets walks by its mother, Daenerys, at their enclosure at the zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. AP Photo/Petr David Josek
To make things worse, Daenerys suffered from an intestinal infection in August.
But despite all odds, the five looked lively and healthy on Friday.
“At this moment, everything seems fine, but it’s still a long run,” Brandl said. He said it might take a year before it’s clear they will survive the crucial period after their birth.
Three of the newly born cheetah quintuplets walk at their enclosure at the zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. AP Photo/Petr David Josek
“The mother of the cubs continues to surprise us,” Brandl said after the cubs were born. “She arrived from France several years ago in poor physical and mental condition, and at the time, I was convinced we would never see offspring from this female.”
Scientists say every cub is critical to saving the species, which is threatened with extinction.
Cheetahs, the fastest land animals in the world, can reach maximum speeds of between 70 and 75 mph. It’s estimated that fewer than 7,000 of them remain in the wild.
Since 2020, the number of cheetahs in European zoos has declined by 25%, according to the zoo.
“Every successfully reared cub is therefore both an achievement and a source of hope,” the zoo said.
One of the newly born cheetah quintuplets rests at its enclosure at the zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. AP Photo/Petr David Josek
Last October, 11 cheetah cubs were rescued from illegal trade in Somaliland in what a conservationist described as “one of the largest confiscations of the species.”
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