As Mother's Day approaches Taronga Western Plains Zoo is paying tribute to animal mothers who do an amazing job of raising their young, helping to ensure the long term survival of their species. One mother in particular is leading the way, Halla the Cheetah is mother to the three cubs currently on exhibit at Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Halla is a first-time mother and has been doing a fantastic job, she is generally calm and takes motherhood in her stride.Halla is teaching the cubs the necessary behaviours to learn as they become adult Cheetah. Visitors will often see her chasing the cubs around the exhibit or vice versa showing them how to hunt and trip their prey. Halla uses purring vocalisation known as a stutter to communicate with the cubs and instruct them as to whether to stay quiet and hidden or approach things with her.The cubs are quite curious and visitors will see them exploring the different logs, trees and climbing structures in their exhibit under the watchful eye of Halla. In the wild cubs would stay with their mother for the best part of two years before the female cubs would lead a solitary life and the males would remain together in a coalition with their brothers. This is still sometime away for Halla’s cubs, and we all have time to watch the cubs grow and develop over the coming year.