“Say hello to our newly named cheetah cubs: 3D, Kushoma, Zura, Kuba and Kuki!”

“Smithsonian National Zoo members selected two of the cubs names, which are also from the Shona language. This male is named Kuba, which means stealthy.”

From the Smithsonian’s National Zoo:

“Say hello to our newly named cheetah cubs: 3D, Kushoma, Zura, Kuba and Kuki!

“Zura, one of the females, was also named by Smithsonian National Zoo members. Her name means sun in Shona.”

Males 3D and Kushoma were named by two generous donors. The name 3D has great significance to the donor’s family. It reflects the creative, unconventional and mischievous spirit they saw in the cheetah cubs. Kushoma means rare in Shona. The Shona language is spoken in Zimbabwe, which is one of the countries where the Southern African cheetah population is found. Other countries include Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique.

Two of Rosalie’s other cubs also have Shona names. Smithsonian National Zoo members voted to name one of the female cubs “Zura” and the third male cub “Kuba.” Zura means sun and Kuba means stealthy.

The fifth cub, Kuki, was named by us cheetah keepers, who were inspired by names submitted by elementary school classes. Her name means cookie in Swahili.

In the near future, we are looking forward to introducing the cubs to Kong toys and possibly a new cheetah neighbor, as some of our adults will be moved into different yards! Until then, keep an eye on the Cheetah Cub Cam to spot more adorable moments between Rosalie, Kuba, Kuki, Kushoma, 3D and Zura.”