Three cheetah brothers, named Draco, Granger and Zabini after the Harry Potter characters, have arrived at the National Zoo to help add genetic diversity to its breeding program. The new cheetahs go on public display Friday.

Zoo reproduction specialist JoGayle Howard explained to WTOP that the new cheetahs are vital because their genetic line is not represented in North America. Cheetahs are both critically endangered and very difficult to breed, so the introduction of a fresh line of genes into the cheetah population living in zoos in North America is extremely desirable.

At the same time that the National Zoo is trying to encourage cheetahs to get it on for the sake of their population, the Zoological Society of London, like so many cultural conservatives, is busy slut-shaming female cheetahs who, shall we say, get around. A new study reveals that female cheetahs in the Serengeti are having cubs with more than one male partner. Here’s hoping the lady cheetahs at the National Zoo turn deaf ears to these prudish concerns and feel free to play the field with their new suitors.

Photo by somesai