A veterinary survey of factors associated with capture-related mortalities in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

Cindy Braud,Adrian S.W Tordiffe,Vincent Van Der Merwe,Emily P Mitchell

doi:10.4102/jsava.v90i0.1723

Abstract

The objective of this study was to gain better insight into factors associated with the capture-related mortality rate in cheetahs. A link to an online questionnaire was sent to zoo and wildlife veterinarians through the Species Survival Plan Programme and European Endangered Species Programme coordinators and via the ‘Wildlife VetNet’ Google group forum. The questionnaire consisted of 50 questions relating to the veterinarians’ country of residence and experience, the medicine combinations used, standard monitoring procedures, capture-related complications and mortalities experienced in this species under different capture conditions. In addition, necropsy data from the national wildlife disease database of the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa were examined for cases where anaesthetic death was listed as the cause of death in cheetahs. A total of 75 veterinarians completed the survey, with 38 from African countries and a combined total of 37 from Europe, the United States (US) and Asia. Of these, 24% (n = 18/75) had experienced at least one capture-associated cheetah mortality, with almost all of the fatalities (29/30) reported by veterinarians working in Africa. A lack of anaesthetic monitoring and the absence of supplemental oxygen were shown to be significant risk factors for mortality. Hyperthermia, likely to be associated with capture stress, was the most common reported complication (35%). The results suggest that free-ranging rather than habituated captive cheetahs are particularly at risk of dying during immobilisation and transport. The capture-related fatalities in this species do not appear to be associated with either the veterinarian’s level of clinical experience or the immobilisation agents used.

Highlights

In the last few decades, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) have suffered drastic population declines because of several anthropogenic factors that confine them to a mere 9% of their historical distribution range
This may, to some extent, be a reflection of the larger number of cheetahs immobilised in this continent, but as we did not ask for information on the actual number of cheetahs immobilised per year, we were not able to assess the relative incidence of mortalities in each region
The stress associated with capture in these free-ranging animals may make them susceptible to hyperthermia and other anaesthetic complications

Summary

Introduction

In the last few decades, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) have suffered drastic population declines because of several anthropogenic factors that confine them to a mere 9% of their historical distribution range. More than half of the world’s estimated 7100 free-ranging individuals currently reside in six southern African countries (Durant et al 2016). In South Africa, the majority of the estimated 1200 free-ranging cheetahs are confined to national and provincial parks and a narrow stretch of farmland along the country’s northern border (Van der Merwe et al 2016). A smaller but growing number of cheetahs have been re-introduced to smaller private or state-owned reserves scattered across the country. Since 2011, these animals have been managed through the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Cheetah Metapopulation Project, increasing their numbers from 240 cheetahs on 40 reserves to 330 animals on 54 reserves. The project primarily aims to maintain the genetic diversity of the cheetahs in these small reserves and this requires the occasional immobilisation of individuals for various management and translocation purposes

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Conclusion