While visitors can't seem them just yet, Taronga Western Plains Zoo is celebrating the arrival of three cheetah cubs, born in July to first-time mother Hani and father Obi. Their arrival marks an important achievement for the Zoo's conservation breeding program involving the world's fastest land mammal.

The trio are thriving behind the scenes under the watchful eye of their experienced keepers, with Hani proving to be an attentive and capable first-time mum. Now almost three months old and reaching key developmental milestones, the cubs are regularly observed pouncing, play wrestling, stalking, exploring their surroundings, feeding and sleeping as they grow.

"Watching the cubs develop has been a highlight. They're becoming more adventurous every day and we're now seeing lots of natural play behaviours. One minute they're wrestling each other, the next they're sneakily stalking mum before launching into a playful pounce,” Cheetah Keeper Kaitlyn Doherty said.

The cubs will remain behind the scenes until they are approximately four months old, as keepers continue to give first-time mum Hani the space to raise her cubs.

The team has maintained a deliberately hands-off approach, closely monitoring from afar while allowing Hani to build her confidence as a mother and bond with her young. A health assessment in the coming weeks will determine the sex of each cub, with naming discussions to follow shortly after.

Away from public view, The Taronga Sanctuary also provides a safe haven for Greater Bilbies to live and breed free from introduced predators such as foxes and feral cats, which remain among the greatest threats to the species in the wild.

The Zoo celebrated National Bilby Day on September 13 with encouraging new statistics from its conservation breeding program evidence that its free-ranging Greater Bilby population is thriving.

An estimated 212 of the nationally-threatened Greater Bilbies now call the 110-hectare feral-predator-free area at the Zoo home, representing another significant conservation milestone.

Annual population surveys have confirmed 241 births (with additional unconfirmed births likely) since 18 founder Greater Bilbies were first introduced to the Sanctuary in 2019. A recent survey recorded 109 bilbies, including 45 newly identified individuals that had never previously been recorded.

During overnight surveys, bilbies are carefully trapped, given a brief health assessment, weighed and sexed before being released back into the sprawling Sanctuary at the Zoo. Any new individuals discovered are given a microchip and have genetic samples taken to help keepers and conservation officers keep track of the genetic diversity in the growing population.

This successful breeding program has sent 62 Taronga-bred individuals to locations in NSW, and the Northern Territory.

Conservation Keeper Leonie Pascua said the results were an encouraging sign for the future of the species.

“To see the bilby breeding population and program continue to grow inside the Taronga Sanctuary is incredibly rewarding for our team. Every new bilby recorded represents another step forward in securing the future of this species," she concluded.