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Smithsonian livestreams five newborn cheetah cubs
Mother Zura gave birth on October 5 to cubs whose father, Flash, has seven others; keepers plan to stay hands-off for weeks, and the den may sit empty.
At a glance
- First reported by Good News Network: “LIVE Webcam Brings You Inside Cheetah Den With 5 Tiny Cubs Tended By Mom (The Meows are Mesmerizing)”, with reporting from Smithsonian Magazine, NVDaily, DC News Now and WJLA (7News).
- Covered on BBN on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at 6:16 AM ET on BBN This Morning, by Dale Bearman and Hank Ledger.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- Good News NetworkLIVE Webcam Brings You Inside Cheetah Den With 5 Tiny Cubs Tended By Mom (The Meows are Mesmerizing)
- Smithsonian MagazineWatch Five Adorable Newborn Cheetah Cubs Grow on a Livestream From the Smithsonian's Conservation Biology Institute October 9, 2026 · facts used on air
- NVDaily5 cheetah cubs born at Smithsonian research center facts used on air
- DC News NowZookeepers welcome 5 newborn cheetah cubs at the Smithsonian National Zoo October 9, 2026 · facts used on air
- WJLA (7News)Smithsonian welcomes five cheetah cubs as live camera returns October 12, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorFive cheetah cubs were born at the Smithsonian's Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia, and anyone can watch them around the clock on a live camera, Good News Network reports.

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorAround the clock. Five newborns, no days off, and not one of them signed anything.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorTheir mother is Zura, a first-time mother. Keepers say she and the cubs are healthy, strong and active.

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorAnd here's the fine print. Zura may move the cubs around her habitat, so viewers may occasionally find the den empty.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo there's a live feed of a place where the cubs sometimes aren't.

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorKeepers stay hands-off for several weeks so Zura can bond with her cubs. That leaves a webcam and a first-time mother doing the whole night shift, and neither one has asked for a raise.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorOne biologist says with five cubs, somebody is always hungry and somebody always needs a bath. That's every household I've ever heard of.

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorFour generations on one campus, Hank. That's a family group chat nobody can mute.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWonderful. Ten out of ten cubs.

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorI watched the empty den for ten minutes while you were reading that. Best thing on the network.
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 · the Weird News archive · all months




