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Sextuplets born to a cheetah at Basel Zoo

Sextuplets born to the cheetahs at Basel Zoo
Cheetahs are classified as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Keystone-SDA

Six cheetahs have come into the world at Basel Zoo. The sextuplets consist of four males and two females. The cubs are all healthy and have been given names, the zoo announced on Thursday.

In the year 2026, newborns at Basel Zoo are being given names starting with the letter X. The six cheetahs are therefore called Xeros, Xolobeni, Xeric, Ximba, Xhosa and Xenia. They were born on June 5 and can now be seen without restriction in the enclosure, Basel Zoo said in a statement. These are the first offspring of the four-year-old mother, Malaika, who arrived at Basel Zoo from Stuttgart in 2024.

+ Swiss conservationists want Basel Zoo gorilla breeding to stop

Cheetahs are classified as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. It is estimated that fewer than 7,000 adult animals remain in the wild, and the population continues to decline. As part of a conservation breeding programme, zoos aim to help maintain a genetically healthy reserve population in the long term, Basel Zoo said.

Translated from German/reviewed by an English Department journalist

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