March 1st, 2021, 1:39PM / BY Allison Cook The first cheetah cub born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute celebrated his 10th birthday last year, marking a decade of the facility's successful cheetah breeding program. Visitors to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo may encounter the Zoo’s three male cheetahs roaming, playing and snoozing on exhibit. However, behind the scenes at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, many more cheetahs live, breed and contribute to the North American cheetah population. Cheetah keepers and scientists also contribute to saving cheetahs through improving breeding efforts with their important scientific studies. Take a look back through some of the milestones that SCBI’s cheetah team has celebrated since the breeding program began.