SEE: A litter of seven cheetah cubs were born at a Washington zoo

Seven adorably fluffy cheetah cubs were born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington in the United States, on 9 July 2018.

It was a first litter for both the parents and mother Erin has been caring for the cubs attentively since their birth, according to a press release from the Institute.

Den cameras and visual checks allow keepers to monitor the health of the mother and cubs in the early weeks.

“It is really exciting to have such a large and healthy litter of cubs, especially from first-time parents,” says Adrienne Crosier, cheetah biologist. “A global self-sustaining cheetah population in human care is becoming even more important with the continued decrease of animal numbers in the wild.”

According to the institute, there are only about 7 000 cheetahs now living in fragmented habitats in the wild.