|
History
|
The
keeping of cheetahs can be retraced until 3000 B.C. Tamed, wild
caught cheetahs were trained to hunt in the arabian and asian
area. At times quite a number was kept at the courts of the
potentates. At that time there must have been an inexhaustible
“supply” of wild cheetahs, considering the fact that "Akbar the
Great", mogul of India
(1542-1605) alone kept over a thousand trained cheetahs in his
menagerie.
Due to the
special mating behavior of cheetahs
there was never any breeding, so that a real domestication was
never realized.
Serious
breeding efforts were probably not considered because at that
time people thought that cubs raised by humans were not suited
for hunting. Therefore adult, trapped animals with several
years of age were preferred.
People
took the view that only those cats had enough experience of
hunting.
|
|
The Egyptians were the first to
tame cheetahs. A tribesman brings a cheetah along with ebony as
tribute to the King of Thebes (1700 B.C.)
|
The last hunting party in India
with cheetahs took place in 1942
Current problems
For decades zoos or
private institutions all over the world have tried to breed this
wonderful species of big cats, which is also the fastest mammal on
earth. These efforts have become necessary in face of a decrease of
the natural population of wild cheetahs from estimated 100.000
creatures in 1900 to about 12.000 today.
Today estimated 700
cheetahs live in zoos or are privately owned, although only with
very limited breeding success. So they say that in entire Europe
less than a dozen cubs were born in 2003. Only a few institutions
have been able to breed cheetahs on a regular basis.
When trying to find
explanations they hold the cheetahs responsible for these
difficulties: bad quality of the sperm, unsatisfactory or non -
existent heat of the female or even genetical problems are
discussed. Almost nobody blames the human being who imposes the
cheetahs on keeping conditions which are avoiding successful
breeding efforts, or even prevent those from the start.
For example, groups of
both sexes, as frequently displayed in zoos, stand in direct
contrast to the natural behavior of cheetahs. Female cheetahs in the
wild are living solitarily and only tolerating a male during their
brief period of maximum heat. Also big cats enclosures close to them
will prevent a femal cheetah to come along with a normal sexual cycle.
Even timid, and
frightened animals with no trust in their keeper, which have to be
sedated for even minor manipulations and transports, will not
produce offspring in such an unsafe environment.
The main problem with
breeding cheetahs lies in the determination to fix the exact time
of heat and its subsequent toleration of the male. Due to
difficulties in discovering the outer symptoms of the heat, mostly
the suitible time is not identified. Alternatively, “chance
socializations” with males are attempted,
but are bound to fail.
Alternatives
Until today many
experts consider the breeding with tame and hand reared cheetahs as
impossible, despite the following benefits are obvious:
Especially for the
evaluation of the heat, a tame female is of invaluable advantage.
The specific behavioral symptoms can be put into relation to the
changes (size, color, secretion) of the vulva via simple adspection
and palpation. Thus
an individual calendar
of cycle can be set up easily for each cat.
The absolute well-being
of the female cheetah, meaning a boundless trust in the keeper and
the environment as well as an excellent diet, metabolism and
climate, are leading to very regular cycles. Even long distance car
transportations will not cause any delay. This knowledge enables us
to fix the exact date for mating.
First successes
|
In
spring 2004 we planned with a litter for our female “Bagheera”.
The predicted begin of the heat was determined for march
28th.
The animal park “Jaderberg” (zoological
director: Dr.
Dieter
Minnemann)
www.jaderpark.de
generously
provided the mating partner “Bubi” for this purpose. After a 24
hour ride from Spain to northern Germany,
"Bagheera" was mated
just on time, on march 31st.
On July 1st,
“Bagheera” gave birth to a total of five cubs, of which two were
born dead and another two, with a birth-weight of only 200 grs,
died within hours after birth.
"Bagheera" was obviously
inexperienced and did not open the amniotic sacs and didn´t even
cut the umbilical cords herself.
Without human
assistance at birth, probably none of the cubs would have
survived. Moreover, only two of the mother´s dugs provided milk.
This lead to our decision to handrear the only survivor
“Bunjee”.
|
|
"Bunjee"
three weeks old
Marc Heidenreich
with
"Bunjee" |
Such “mistakes” of a
primigravida mother cannot be explained by the tameness, because it
some-times
also occurs in the same way in the nature.
A few weeks later
“Bagheera” was in heat again. We took advantage of the subsequent
heat for another mating with the same male on August 22nd.
On
November 24th in 2004, not even five months after the
first litter, “Bagheera” gave birth for the second time, to five,
this time strong and healthy cubs, which were all fed and raised by
herself.
Because of cool weather conditions the cubs were kept for the first
weeks with their mother inside the house.
Bagheera giving birth
to the first cub.
After seven hours all five cubs were born and
suckled already half hour later.
|
