Dr. Laurie Marker, Executive Director of Cheetah Conservation Fund, said they are considering putting the boys with the girls to start breeding right away. However, it has not yet been decided which of the three boys – Elton, Freddie or Oban – will go first, sources said.
The sources said the cheetah project team is now working on a strategy for the potential breeding. Experts believe that the conditions for breeding are more favorable in the bomas at the moment than in the park.
Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav held a review meeting in Kuno National Park with a team of researchers, scientists and forest officials on Sunday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of turning ecological blunder into ecological harmony is taking shape. All eight cheetahs are adapting well,” the minister tweeted.
However, cheetah farming has its complications. An article by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) states that only 20% of cheetahs reproduce successfully in captivity, in part due to reduced genetic diversity. It also suggests that cheetahs have poor sperm motility and higher infant mortality.
“Males produce better quality sperm when they are away from the public eye or have fewer attendants, and also when grouped with other males. The research’s next finding was informed by observations in the wild, of male cheetahs often living with their siblings. On the other hand, female cheetahs are more successful at reproducing when they have been relocated away from the facility where they were born, mimicking what would happen to them in the wild,” reads an article by Meredith Hanel of CCF.
Hanel says that, unlike house cats, female cheetahs don’t make it obvious when they’re ready to mate and may not go into heat for several months.
A cheetah, named ‘Asha’ by Prime Minister Modi, was pregnant when she was moved from Namibia to Kuno but lost her embryos, possibly due to stress, as per CCF. Medical examination immediately after her capture in the wild showed signs of embryos although her pregnancy status also remained unclear after being taken to Kuno in the absence of testing facilities and protocols. The suspense regarding Asha’s pregnancy ended with the completion of her gestation period. TNN
