TYLER, Texas — Three cheetah cubs were born this summer at the Caldwell Zoo, and they are now settling into their new home at the cheetah habitat.
These three cubs are all males and love to rough house. Guests can often see them tussling and standing on their hind legs in play.
Through these cubs, the zoo is working to help cheetah conservation. Due to habitat loss and deforestation, the species is on the endangered species list.
"Their range has definitely become a little bit smaller in Africa," Caldwell Zoo zookeeper Ricky Roemer said. "They used to span all of Africa, basically. And now they're just a small portion of that."
Even though they are on the endangered species list, cheetah populations are starting to increase in the wild. Population numbers are at some of the highest levels they have been in years.
For more behind-the-scenes zoo content, watch CBS19 on Fridays during Morning Y'all for the weekly segment, Exploring the Caldwell Zoo.