Washington's National Zoo, beset by a series of unusual animal deaths and charges of mismanagement, introduced its first litter of endangered cheetah cubs on Friday with fanfare befitting some rare good news. "This is the first litter at the National Zoo. It's very difficult to breed cheetahs so there are very few litters," said Jo Gayle Howard, a reproductive scientist at the nation's flagship zoo. "This is why this is such a big deal." A phalanx of photographers and journalists jostled for the best view as the 10-week-old cubs -- two males and two females -- bounded outside with their mother, Tumai, for their first public appearance. The fluffy cubs romped around in something they would not likely have experienced in their native Africa: snow. The cubs were born on Nov. 23 and are now the size of house cats, weighing about 10 pounds (4.5 kg). They will reach their adult weight of 100 pounds (45 kg) when they are about a year old and may then go to other zoos in North America to take part in a breeding conservation program. --More 0006 Local Time 2106 GMT
