Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Adds Mother Cheetah And Her 5 Cubs
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium is welcoming a mother cheetah and her five cubs to their ranks.
The zoo says Naya and her cubs, born back on Oct. 20, 2019, come from the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia. They are settling into their new life in Pittsburgh.
The zoo's previous cheetah pair, Zola and Rey, have moved on to other zoos.
As part of their welcome to Pittsburgh, the zoo is asking the public to help name Naya's cubs.
They are asking zoo visitors to choose between three themes, then the zookeepers will choose the names from within that theme.
The themes include:
- Pittsburgh Pride (examples: Liberty, Bloom, North, East, Hazel, Brook, Schenley)
- Girl Power (examples: Athena, Pandora, Joan, Cleo, Frida, Amelia)
- Africa (examples: Bisa "Greatly Loved", Kali "Rosebud", Malika "Queen", Shani "Wonderful", Taj "Crown")
You can visit the zoo's website at this link to cast your vote.
The voting will end on Friday, July 10, which is National Kitten Day. Then, the names will be announced on July 13.
Visitors can see the fascinating cats now at the zoo's Cheetah Exhibit.
The zoo says cheetahs, which are the fastest cats on Earth, are endanger of extinction due to habitat loss, poaching, and conflicts between cheetahs and farmers.