Five adorable cheetah cubs are in intensive care after being born premature by a rare emergency cesarean section.

The cubs, born at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's Nursery, are expected to remain in the nursery for eight to 12 weeks.

Willow, the cubs' mother, is still recovering from surgery.

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Five cheetah cubs (pitured) were born by cesarean section at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's Nursery

The cubs are in intensive care because they have not built up an immune system due to their early birth

'The cubs were born under difficult circumstances.

'For puppies and kittens the vast majority of their passive immunity comes from their mom's milk especially the colostrum.

'Their immune systems are not developed very well at all at this time so they are unable to actively ward off infections.

'We are doing all we can to keep them healthy and strong, but it will be a challenge for these cubs moving forward,' said Dr Mark Campbell, director of Animal Health at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Dr Mark Campbell, director of Animal Health at the Cincinnati Zoo, has only ever performed two other c-sections on wild animals. The staff agreed collectively to step in and give the procedure

Needing TLC: The cubs will need round the clock care and will be in an intensive care nursery for eight to 12 weeks

Campbell said the staff knew Willow was due to give birth, but when they started noticing abnormal behaviors, they made the decision to anesthetize her and evaluate her situation.

The team decided as a group to give Willow the cesarean. Dr Campbell said he's only ever performed the procedure on two other animals.

While the cubs, three males and two females, are in the intensive care unit, they are treated like human babies, with everything kept sterile and round the clock care.

Willow (pictured), the cubs' mother, is recovering from her surgery while doctors take care of the five babies

'We're working hard to put some weight on the premature cubs. Important benchmarks for survival of these cubs are the first week and month of life,' Dr Campbell said.

Cheetahs are endangered, and their population worldwide has shrunk from about 100,000 in 1900 to an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 cheetahs today.

The Cincinnati Zoo has been dubbed 'The Cheetah Capital of the World' because of its conservation efforts through education, public interpretation, and the captive cheetah breeding program.