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The Feasibility of Releasing Captive Bred Cheetah Acinonyx Jubatus Into a Wild Environment: Taming the Controversy

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The Feasibility of Releasing Captive Bred Cheetah Acinonyx Jubatus Into a Wild Environment: Taming the Controversy The re-introduction of captive bred cheetah into a wild environment, Makulu Makete Wildlife Reserve, Limpopo province, South Africa By Nkabeng Thato Maruping Submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Magister Scientiae in Wildlife Management Centre for Wildlife Management Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria Supervisor: Professor W. van Hoven Co-supervisor: Kelly. A. Marnewick January 2011 i © University of Pretoria The re-introduction of captive bred cheetah into a wild environment, Makulu Makete Wildlife Reserve, Limpopo province, South Africa By Nkabeng Thato Maruping ii The re-introduction of captive bred cheetah into a wild environment, Makulu Makete Wildlife Reserve, Limpopo province, South Africa By Nkabeng Maruping Supervisor: Professor W. van Hoven Co-supervisor: Kelly A. Marnewick Faculty of Natrual and Agricultural Sciences University of Pretoria Magister Scientiae (Wildlife Management) ABSTRACT The conservation benefits of animals in captivity are limited to education and genetic preservation. However, where species or sub-species are critically endangered, the release of captive bred animals into the wild can be used as a strategy to supplement existing populations or to form new founder populations. Cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus born in captivity have no prior experience of survival in wild circumstances. Captive bred cheetahs are currently the greatest source of individuals. This project worked in conjunction with IUCN reintroduction guidelines and pre-existing recommendations in an attempt to develop an ideal methodology of reintroducing captive bred cheetah into the wild. Three captive bred cheetahs, one female and two males, were reintroduced onto Makulu Makete Wildlife Reserve, a predator proofed reserve in the Limpopo province of South Africa, as part of an experimental rehabilitation project. The cheetahs had to lose their homing instinct, be habituated to researchers, become accustomed to eating venison, chewing skin, infrequent large meals and strength development within the three months spent in the enclosures. The cheetahs iii were habituated to the field researchers on foot and to research vehicles for ease of monitoring. A soft release methodology was used to ease the cheetahs into the environment. Upon release they were tracked twice daily to observe behavior and interaction with their environment. The duration of the project was 20 months which includes enclosure time. The establishment of a home range indicated that the resource need of the cheetahs was satisfied. Eight habitat types were identified in the study area and all cheetahs encompassed part of each in their home range. Though the hunting instinct was present in all the cheetahs, the appropriate hunting techniques and prey selection had to be learned overtime. There was no difference between what was stalked and what was caught. From the observed kills, prey weight ranged from small <40 kg to medium <160 kg. This weight range is comparable to wild cheetahs that select prey within the same range. Each cheetah hunted every four to five days and consumed three to five kilograms of meat per day. Nine prey species were identified, two of which were not detected during direct observations. In the collection of scat, the trained dog found approximately a scat per hour while each direct observation by the researchers took approximately 10 hours. These captive bred cheetahs had to learn how to hunt and how to select appropriate prey thus addressing learned behavior versus instinct. Given the frequency and intensity of injuries sustained and the extensive human influence in the form of veterinary treatment, the reintroduction was not a success. However the techniques developed and modified are relevant for future endeavors‟. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ viii LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................................... ix LIST OF APPENDICES ................................................................................................ xii ACKNOWLEDMENTS .................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The feasibility of releasing captive bred cheetah Acinonyx jubatus into a wild environment: taming the controversy ............................................................... 2 Existing threats to cheetah populations .................................................................. 3 About cheetahs .......................................................................................................... 6 Conservation benefits for the Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus venaticus ......... 7 Reintroduction regulations ...................................................................................... 8 OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................... 11 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 11 Chapter 2: Makulu Makete Wildlife Reserve, Limpopo province: release site and animal care of three captive bred cheetah Acinonyx jubatus .................................. 18 STUDY AREA ............................................................................................................... 18 STUDY ANIMALS ......................................................................................................... 21 METHODS .................................................................................................................... 23 Vegetation structure ............................................................................................... 23 Vegetation density ................................................................................................... 24 Bush encroachment and clearing .......................................................................... 25 Veterinary care........................................................................................................ 26 Monitoring ............................................................................................................... 26 MATERIALS ................................................................................................................. 28 Cheetah holding facilities ....................................................................................... 28 Plant Community 1 Terminalia prunioides Veld .................................................. 28 Plant Community 2 Acacia tortilis Veld ................................................................ 29 Vegetation communities ......................................................................................... 29 Northern Dry Terminalia prunioides Veld ............................................................... 32 Colophospermum Mopane Veld ............................................................................... 32 Dense Commiphora Woodlands ............................................................................... 32 Mountain and Hilly Terrain Veld ............................................................................. 33 Southern Sand Plains Veld........................................................................................ 33 River and Flood Plains .............................................................................................. 34 Drainage Course Veld ............................................................................................... 34 v Old and Cultivated Land ........................................................................................... 35 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 35 Chapter 3: The conditioning of captive bred cheetah Acinonyx jubatus to survive in a wild environment: feeding, habituation, behavior and pre and post release training ......................................................................................................................... 37 STUDY ANIMALS ......................................................................................................... 38 Female Cheetahs ..................................................................................................... 40 Male Cheetahs ......................................................................................................... 40 CAPTIVITY ................................................................................................................... 42 Feeding in captivity ................................................................................................. 42 Habituation in captivity .......................................................................................... 42 Behavior in captivity ............................................................................................... 44 METHODS .................................................................................................................... 44 Enclosure design...................................................................................................... 44 Feeding regimes ......................................................................................................
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