The cheetah is known for being the most endangered cat in Africa, with Virginia’s Metro Richmond Zoo owner Jim Andelin saying that the cheetah population has drastically declined from 100,000 to only 7,000 in recent years. That’s why workers at his zoo are so excited after one of their cheetahs gave birth to a huge litter of cubs!

Over the past few years, Metro Richmond Zoo has made cheetah conservation their main focus, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. In just a few years, zoo staffers have seen nine new litters, totaling 47 cubs.

The average litter of newborn cheetahs is three to four cubs, which is why it was such a big deal when a pregnant cheetah named Vaila recently gave birth to seven babies at the zoo! Believe it or not, this was Vaila’s second time delivering seven babies at once, with her first litter coming in 2016.

Septuplets only occur one percent of the time in cheetahs, and given how endangered cheetahs are, this litter could not have come at a better time!

“This is a very special birth to us because not only is it a big boost for cheetah conservation by increasing the captive population, but also a cheetah having 7 cubs at once only happens 1% of the time!” the zoo wrote on Facebook. “In addition, the sire is Kalu, a first time dad who was born and raised here at the zoo.”

“All 7 cubs have had several checkups and their first set of shots,” they continued. “They are in great health and growing fast. Vaila and cubs are currently in our cheetah breeding facility and are not on exhibit; however, we plan to move them into the zoo sometime in March. We will make an announcement when they can be seen on exhibit.”

Congratulations to Metro Richmond Zoo for a remarkable job on cheetah conservation and the successful births of these amazing cubs!