Five cheetah cubs who beat the storm just stood tall for their first portrait

They were born on 18 June at Prague Zoo, in an outdoor enclosure, just as torrential storms rolled over the city. Their mother Daenerys shielded all five quintuplets — four males and one female — licking the rain from their fur to keep them dry. In August she fought off an intestinal infection of her own. On Friday the zoo confirmed what visitors had hoped: all five cubs are lively and healthy. Every cub matters for a species with fewer than 7,000 left in the wild. 'At this moment, everything seems fine,' said curator Pavel Brandl, 'but it's still a long run.'