Video: Dutch zoos to swap female cheetahs to boost chance of mating success
Safari Park Beekse Bergen and the Royal Burgers’ Zoo have exchanged two female cheetahs. The female cheetah from the zoo in Arnhem did not show much interest in the male there, and the zookeepers hope that the one from the safari park in Hilvarenbeek will be a better match.
The female from Beekse Bergen is also related to all the males there, so swapping with the Royal Burgers’ Zoo will also increase the genetic variety. Beekse Bergen coordinates the European population management program for the cheetah, so it knows all the bloodlines in the participating European zoos and works to keep the population as genetically varied as possible.
Cheetahs, like most felines, have a solitary lifestyle. Males and females only live together during mating season. Cheetahs are also quite picky in their choice of partner. “And unfortunately, the female and male in the Arnhem Zoo do not appear to be a good match,” Safari Park Beekse Bergen said.
The cheetah leaving the Beekse Bergen Safaripark is Bomani, a young cub born at the Hilvarenbeek location. She was part of a group of seven cubs born to two different cheetahs in the park. One of the seven died shortly after birth, and one of the adult females, Sara, fell ill. The other cheetah mom, Kate, stepped up to take care of all six remaining cubs, including Bomani, while the other adult recovered.
Beekse Bergen's cheetahs were in the news a year later, when one of the animals bit a German teenager. The boy was walking around the safari park with two others when they accidentally wandered past warning signs and over an electrified grid, entering the cheetah enclosure by accident. They took off running when they found themselves near one of the cheetahs.
The animal took off after them and grabbed the 17-year-old boy. A park ranger saw the incident and rescued the boy. He was treated and released in an area hospital.
