Dang, you're on it! I last checked the website for the newest studbook 5 days ago and it wasn't up yet
Australasian Cheetah Population
- Thread starter WhistlingKite24
- Start date
Dang, you're on it! I last checked the website for the newest studbook 5 days ago and it wasn't up yet
Kaha lived an impressive 15 years - a rarity for his family line. His mother died at the age of seven, shortly after weaning his litter; and he’s outlived his littermates by several years - including his sister who died aged six.
Unlike many of the Orana bred Cheetah, Kaha was mother raised (until her death). He was therefore wary of people and he and his brother stamped the ground and spat at the tour group I was in on my last visit.
0.1 Kesho at Monarto is pregnant and due at the end of the month. Sire is returning male Innis who was transferred from Canberra recently. These will be the first cheetah cubs in the region since 2018: Double the cubs, double the excitement with spotty paws on board! • Glam Adelaide
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Looking over the population list, it’s easy to see why Monarto, Dubbo and Orana are consistently the most successful in breeding. There’s five other holders with unrelated males and females (potential breeding pairs), but each of these lack at least one of the key factors in breeding this species - selection of males for the female to choose from; space; and distance from apex predators.
It’d be nice to hear good news from Orana this year - who’ve been trying to breed for a while now. They’ve had many successful litters - all from the same matrilineal line. Their only reproductively viable female is a fourth generation female from this line, who’s yet to breed with the two males they imported from South Africa. She’s recently turned seven, so hopefully this will be her year.
It appears that the zoos breeding them in our region are the open range zoos to date perhaps the extra space and privacy are in their favour also they can hold bigger numbers of males.
Male selection is indeed very important. They have a raceway at Orana that the breeding female walks down, which is connected to multiple offshoot exhibits containing males. The female indicates her preference and the pair are introduced.
Curiously, Wellington Zoo failed to satisfy the critical three requirements outlined above, yet still managed to breed from a female three times between 1976-1978. This was surely an exception to what’s been tried and tested over many decades at other zoos.
True there appears to be exceptions, I believe Whipsnade had a pair in the 60s/70s called Jack and Juanita ? That bred very well and had multiple cubs between them. I still believe that Australia zoo should move their cheetah out of proximity of keeping them within the tiger complex if ever plan on breeding them.
That’s interesting. Some of Wellington’s first Cheetah came from Whipsnade (possibly descendants of that pair):
1.0 Raja
Born 13 August 1978 at Whipsnade Zoo
Arrived at Wellington Zoo 7 November 1979
Died at Wellington Zoo 14 August 1985
1.0 Avon Chaka
Born 26 April 1984 at Whipsnade Zoo
Arrived at Wellington Zoo 28 November 1984
Died at Wellington Zoo 18 April 1989
0.1 Juba
Born 9 November 1984 at Whipsnade Zoo
Arrived at Wellington Zoo 30 April 1986
Sent to Taronga Western Plains Zoo 28 November 1991
It’s frustrating that Australia Zoo continue to house their Cheetah within the tiger complex. They will never breed and they’re just wasting valuable founders that could be utilised at the open range zoos.
Many small city zoos like Auckland and Wellington have accepted the logic that breeding is better suited to the open range zoos and therefore hold same sex siblings etc.
Not only did Whipsnade have a celebrated pair of cheetah about the same time frame they had a famous pair of Sumatran tigers that produced many cubs, there names escape me at the moment.
I assume you mean Siberian tigers?
Whipsnade Zoo has only ever held two Sumatran tigers. A three year old male named Sumar arrived in 1973 and lived there until he was transferred to London Zoo in 1979. He was joined by his full sister (six months younger), who arrived in 1978 and was transferred with him to London Zoo the following year. They never bred (being siblings).
Whipsnade Zoo held a male Siberian tiger named Sergei, who arrived in 1980. He sired 27 offspring across 14 litters to three females named Paula, Tilly and Solo (daughter of Sergei and Tilly).
I have a very old zoo guide stating they were Sumatran tigers
Possibly a mistake in the guide. Taronga went around telling anyone who’d listen they were breeding Sumatran tigers throughout the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, but they later discovered these were hybrids and that their first litter of Sumatran tigers were bred in 1980 to Nico and Meta.
If you can find the guide and the names of the tigers, I’d be happy to research further.
I will look for you but they did look very Sumatran in the pics
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Probably, seclusion next to space and mate choices for females are deciding factors.
Agreed.
Hamilton Zoo attempted to breed a 1.1 pair. They had space and seclusion from apex predators, but the female was disinterested in the male.
Auckland and Wellington Zoo both have small exhibits, each within close proximity to the lions. They’ve wisely held same sex sibling pairs in recent decades.
If they cannot expand or create compatible pairs single sex is the only option. At least at Wellington space is at premium so not an option. What about Auckland then?
Auckland Zoo isn’t a lot bigger than Wellington Zoo (16 ha vs 13 ha), so they haven’t really got the space. Auckland Zoo have long grouped their exhibits by geography, so the Cheetah exhibit is nestled in the African precinct, near the baboons, flamingos and rhinos (formerly hippos).
It’s a small exhibit, justified by the fact the keepers regularly walk the Cheetah throughout the zoo. The last pair (brothers) previously enjoyed running the length of the length of the elephant exhibit. It’s now occupied by two females (sisters).
There is an opportunity to expand the African precinct into the Asian elephant exhibit when they depart this year, but that’s already been earmarked for the Southern white rhinoceros.
I can remember Jack and Juanita. They were the first Cheetahs to breed in UK and I think probably the 2nd in the world, after the private owner Spinelli in Italy(who borrowed two males from Rome Zoo to mate his tame female). Jack was actually tame and lead trained and taken for walks around the Zoo. Juanita lived in a chainlink-fenced small open paddock in a fairly quiet area of the zoo not far from the old Elephant house. It had a dog-kennel-type shelter at the rear where her cubs were reared. I think Jack lived elsewhere most of the time when they weren't being paired up.
Correct I knew you would know I also remember the chainlink fence which would of been six foot high
It was pretty much where the Chimpanzee Island is now I think.