Multifaceted Approach to Personality Assessment in Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)
– The purpose of this study was to assess the personality of 17 South African cheetahs at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. A multifaceted approach of observer ratings (rating method), behavioral data (coding method) and hormone monitoring was used to examine individual differences. Knowledge of these individual differences, i.e., personality, is essential to better […]
Behavioral differences as predictors of breeding status in captive cheetahs
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1999)18:43.3.CO;2-O Individual behavioral variation of 44 adult captive-born cheetahs, Acinonyx jubatus, was assessed using observer and keeper ratings on a variety of behavioral attributes. Inter-rater consensus was high for most questionnaire items, several of which were significantly correlated with direct behavioral measures recorded in a mirror-image experiment. Principal component analysis was applied to identify […]
Behavioral correlates of physiological estrus in cheetahs
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1998)17:33.3.CO;2-C Historically, the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has been known for its poor reproductive performance in captivity. Although breeding success has improved over the past decade, the percentage of breeders in the captive population is still low and successful propagation unpredictable. Estrus in this species has been reported as “silent” by some, therefore contributing to […]
Captive breeding of cheetahs in North American Zoos: 1987–1991
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430120104.abs From 1987 to 1991, the North American captive cheetah population increased by 38% (to 266 animals), due to importation and captive breeding. This population constitutes 26% of the world’s captive cheetahs and 36% of all reproductively successful animals. Since 1956, 33% of all cubs born in North America occurred during this 5-year period. […]
Behavioral solutions to breeding cheetahs in captivity: Insights from the wild
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430120105.abs Knowledge of cheetahs’ behavior is increasingly seen as the key to solving the mystery of cheetahs’ poor breeding performance in captivity. In the absence of zoos’ maintaining systematic records of individuals’ behavior during introductions, behavior of free-living animals can be informative. In the wild, most female cheetahs probably mate with males living in […]
Early maternal behavior of wild cheetahs: Implications for captive husbandry
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430120106.abs Against a background of poor breeding success and cub survival in captive cheetahs, a knowledge of the early maternal behavior in the wild may yield useful information for comparison with the captive situation. This paper documents the types of lair sites used by mothers to conceal their newborn cubs in the wild situation, […]
Fertility assessment of cheetah males with poor quality semen
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430120109.abs Reports on semen quality of the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) indicate that high percentages of abnormal morphs and sperm concentrations, 10 times lower than in domestic cats, are found in all populations. These characteristics are believed to result from unusual genetic homozygosity, hypothesized to have been caused by passage of the species through one […]
Growth rate of 21 captive-born, mother-raised cheetah cubs
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430100310.abs This paper presents the growth rate of 21 clinically normal, mother-raised. captive cheetah cubs from birth through 45 days of age. The development of a growth curve for healthy, mother-raised cheetah cubs provides a diagnostic tool for individuals involved in cheetah propagation. Use of the curve may alert caretakers to problems early and […]
Extrinsic factors significantly affect patterns of disease in free-ranging and captive cheetah populations.
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has been considered a paradigm for disease vulnerability due to loss of genetic diversity. This species onomorphism has been suspected to be the basis for their general poor health and dwindling populations in captivity. North American and South African captive populations have high prevalences of hepatic veno-occlusive disease, glomerulosclerosis, gastritis, and […]
Impact of social management on reproductive, adrenal and behavioural activity in the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) held ex situ can provide an important resource for obtaining new biological information that usually cannot be gleaned from free-living individuals. However, consistent captive propagation of the cheetah, a prerequisite for establishing a self-sustaining population, has not been accomplished so far. This study examined the effect of a husbandry regimen commonly used […]