Strategies of Successful Breeding Programs

Unfortunately, no simple lab tests can help identify just what successful zoos are doing right, though a few strategies are suggested by studies of cheetahs in the wild. For instance, cheetahs seem to breed more readily when they are not housed with other wild cats, where they are intimidated by lions in nearby cages. Another strategy entails keeping female cheetahs alone except for their cubs to mimic their solitary existence on the savanna.

To find out what else goes on in successful breeding programs, SSP researcher Nadja Wielebnowski, another of Caro's students, has spent much time observing the cats in zoos, rather than on the savanna. One thing some successful programs do, she found, is keep the cats in relatively large areas generally secluded from visitors, rather than on exhibit. A second strategy involves keeping a large number of cheetahs on hand so that animals can be introduced to several possible mates. Researchers at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, as well as at other zoos, also have noticed that some females seem to prefer certain males and tend to reject advances by others.

Some of the most successful breeding facilities have set up two separate living areas so that cheetahs can be moved around periodically and be stimulated by seeing and, especially, smelling unfamiliar cheetah neighbors. Zoologists note that because cheetahs are solitary, wide-ranging mammals, their sense of smell is an important means of communication and "courtship" between potential mates. Wielebnowski agrees, adding that a female in the Serengeti may range over 800 square kilometers (300 square miles). Wielebnowski also notes that cheetahs, like other intelligent animals, "seem to get bored and lose interest in their surroundings" if they are deprived of stimulation for prolonged periods. Since 1990, several zoos have tried to combat cheetah boredom by setting up coursing tracks, such as those used for training greyhounds, to encourage cheetahs to do what they do best: run.