North American Cheetah Population

Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary in Nevada took in a new cheetah from the SSP. 2 year-old female, Usuma.

Safe Haven has agreed to... - Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary

So, the reason Safe Haven received this cat is because she was involved in an accident that damaged her hind legs. Apparently, badly enough to the point that her left hind leg eventually had to be amputated!

I'm really curious as to why that disqualifies Usuma from partaking in the SSP though. I can understand why missing one of her hind legs would render her unable to successfully rear cubs in the wild, but in a captive situation? Where she never has to hunt and would have a dedicated care team to see to her every need?

I can only assume that her injury doesn't just affect her hind legs, but also her pelvis. Which would make natural breeding (Let alone birthing cubs!) fraught with danger, if not outright impossible.

Then again, the code was recently cracked for frigging embryo transfer in Cheetahs, so Usuma wouldn't need to be able to breed naturally or carry her own cubs even if she were a particularly genetically valuable individual. Which I assume that she isn't, which could also explain why Safe Haven was chosen as her ultimate placement.
 
So, the reason Safe Haven received this cat is because she was involved in an accident that damaged her hind legs. Apparently, badly enough to the point that her left hind leg eventually had to be amputated!

I'm really curious as to why that disqualifies Usuma from partaking in the SSP though. I can understand why missing one of her hind legs would render her unable to successfully rear cubs in the wild, but in a captive situation? Where she never has to hunt and would have a dedicated care team to see to her every need?

I can only assume that her injury doesn't just affect her hind legs, but also her pelvis. Which would make natural breeding (Let alone birthing cubs!) fraught with danger, if not outright impossible.

Then again, the code was recently cracked for frigging embryo transfer in Cheetahs, so Usuma wouldn't need to be able to breed naturally or carry her own cubs even if she were a particularly genetically valuable individual. Which I assume that she isn't, which could also explain why Safe Haven was chosen as her ultimate placement.

Why use an animal that possibly will have trouble birthing and rearing a litter when she likely has siblings with the same genetics?
 
(0.0.4) cheetahs were born to mother Lesedi at Wildlife Safari in Oregon on August 4th.
(0.0.1) cheetah was born at Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia in late August and was then transferred to Wildlife Safari in early September.

Wildlife Safari fosters cheetah cub

Safari Wilderness in Florida holds (0.0.2) cheetahs.*

(6.2) cheetahs were born on April 14th and May 7th respectively at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia, to Gamora & Eshe (both having 3 males 1 female) and the father being Bear.

We've got cheetah cubs! First-time... - Metro Richmond Zoo

The cheetahs that were born from Gamora were named Manjano, Manyara, Mombasa, and Malindi.

Gamora and her four 6-month-old cubs... - Metro Richmond Zoo

*Information provided by @SwampDonkey on the Safari Wilderness Review and News thread.
 
3.2 cubs were born at Smithsonian National Zoo to 8 year old mother Echo on September 12th. Father is either Flash or Asante currently unknown.


Litter of Five Cheetah Cubs Are Born at Front Royal Campus, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

The males were temp. named Back Shave, Left Hip Shave, and Left Shoulder Shave, while one of the females was temp. named Right Shoulder Shave while the other was named Stripe. (1.1) cheetahs Left Shoulder Shave and Right Shoulder Shave were sired by Asante, and the other 3 were sired by Flash

How Genomic Science Solved a Cheetah Paternity Mystery
 
Last edited:
Back
Top