Cheetah has rare multiple birth in Australia

AUSTRALIA (KGO) -- An endangered species got an unexpected boost in its population thanks to a rare multiple birth in Australia.

Surveillance video shows a mother cheetah and her five cubs moments after they arrived at the Monarto Zoo in Australia near Adelaide. Cheetahs usually give birth to one cub at a time. The cheetah quintuplets come as the number of speedy cats in Africa has plunged from about 24,000 to 12,000 over the past 35 years.

"They are Africa's most endangered big cat. There's really not too many left to be honest with you, so any birth is significant," said zookeeper Michelle Lloyd.

The quints have an older sister who was born five months ago. The zoo reports the cubs are doing well, but won't make their public debut for at least a month.

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