October 23, 2020 3:15 a.m.

Staff at Wildlife Safari have announced the birth of the 220th cheetah cub at the game park in Winston.

Carnivore Supervisor Sarah Roy first-time mom Paca and first-time sire Heloi are the new parents. Roy said the cub has the highest level of genetic value of any cub born in the country this year. The cub does not yet have a name.

Roy said whether it’s in Africa in the wild, or in human care, a cheetah will not raise a single cub. The mom will dry up and stop producing milk within a matter of days with only one cub nursing, and will end up neglecting and eventually abandoning the cub.

Roy said Wildlife Safari had to think quick and reached out to their colleagues at Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas. That facility had a litter of cubs born just days earlier. This created the opportunity to cross foster the Wildlife Safari cub with their healthy litter to grow up with siblings and a wonderful mother.

After the cub spent a couple of days nursing off of mom, Safari staff safely pulled the cub from the den box and got on the road for Texas to unite the cub with its new family.