JULY 9,
2019
Cheetah
experts in many zoos around the world are at a loss. Despite all their efforts,
cheetahs often do not reproduce in the desired manner. Researchers from the
Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW), together with
colleagues from the Allwetterzoo Münster, have now found a key to the issue:
The age of the mothers at the first pregnancy is the decisive factor. In
contrast to animals in the wild, felines kept in zoos are often bred only years
after they have reached sexual maturity. From the study results, the
researchers derive recommendations for keeping cheetahs in zoological gardens.
The study was published in the journal Journal of Zoo and Aquarium
Research.
The
concentration of cheetah stress
hormones, as measured over several weeks as metabolites in the feces, was as
high in mothers as in females who had no offspring. Instead, the age of the
mothers is the decisive factor. "We saw from the stud books that the
reproduction failed when the females were six years or older at their first
introduction to a male," says Bettina Wachter from Leibniz-IZW, head of
the study.
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