Getting the world’s fastest cat to breed with speed

Abstract

Cheetahs once rarely reproduced in captivity. Today, cubs are born every year in zoos. Breeding programs have turned their luck around—but they aren’t done yet . Cheetahs have a reputation as stubborn breeders. But the study of cats such as Fatir at the Smithsonian’s breeding facility suggests that a better understanding of natural history and reproductive physiology can dramatically improve captive reproduction. Image credit: Mehgan Murphy/Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Three fluffy cheetah cubs lounge under a tree at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, in Front Royal, Virginia. Off exhibit from the public, the 1-year-old cats roam a large and grassy enclosure behind a high, chain-link fence. They are the newest of 56 cubs born at this facility since 2007 (1). Breeding cheetahs to produce cubs such as these was once famously difficult. The biggest problem was that zoos were “not paying attention to natural history,” says Craig Saffoe, curator of lions, tigers, and bears at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, DC, who in 2004 led the team that produced the zoo’s first litter. Tattoos of cheetahs now adorn his forearms. Zoos once tried to breed cheetahs very differently, he says, keeping males and females together rather than mimicking their lifestyle in the wild. Out on the savannah, females are solitary and roam vast distances. Males defend smaller territories and mate when females pass through (2). Designing exhibits to reflect that natural history has been a major part of breeding success over the last three decades, Saffoe says. Success has also come from a better understanding of cheetah reproductive physiology (3). Reproductive studies in the last 30 years have improved breeding by increasing understanding of males’ poor sperm quality, females’ ovulation cycle, and mate choice. Zoos now consistently produce cubs. The majority of North American captive cheetahs are managed …