The cubs carry the very rare "king cheetah" gene, highest on the list of endangered cheetahs species.

According to africam, the king cheetah was first discovered in 1926, where it was thought to be a completely new and exciting species – a strange hybrid between a cheetah and a leopard.

"Although we now know that it is not a new species, but in fact a distinctive fur pattern variation of a normal spotted cheetah.


"King cheetahs have been reported in the wild, including a sighting in the Kruger National Park in 1974, but are incredibly rare, which raises the importance of a project such as this."

Cheetah mom Meg gave birth to the cubs on Saturday evening.


Africam said that Meg does not carry the king cheetah gene, but the cubs' father is a king cheetah.

"This means that these four cubs will not be king cheetahs, but they will all carry the gene. In the future if they were paired with another gene carrying partner, a king cheetah birth would be possible."
Source