Cheetahs are well known as the most difficult felid to breed in captivity. There are three theories to explain the cheetah's breeding problem: (1) cheetah populations have gone through a bottleneck period; (2) most sperm are non-functional; (3) captive animals are unable to display the full range of behavior seen in the wild. This project aimed to investigate the behavior of captive cheetahs and evaluate management quality by studying their enclosure, the distance between playing cubs and their mother, vocalisations, behavioral patterns and similarities to in-situ behavior, to determine how to improve the captive population's status.

In 1999, one year after cheetah husbandry was re-established, eight cubs were born at Marwell Zoo (England) to a female born in 1992 and a male born in 1990. The female's enclosure was classified into eight zones, according to the microhabitats available, while the male's was simply divided on a geometrical basis. Between 08:00-17:30, we made ad libitum observations of both the female and her cubs at three-minute intervals, using instantaneous sampling for the female and one-zero sampling for the cubs (see [1]), for a total of 84 h. Using focal sampling, the male was observed twice per day (11:30-12:30 and 15:00-17:00) for a total of 35 h. Ad libitum sampling is seldom used, but it was the only method that allowed us to record a complete pattern of behaviors during the day. Night observations were conducted to study the use of available dens.

During the observation period, the cubs were still being nursed by their mother, but they also made their first contact with solid food (mostly during play). The cubs played among themselves and with their mother, and were observed to use tools while playing - a previously unrecorded phenomenon. The complex structure of their enclosure ensured that their use of it was satisfactory, and there was no indication of any stress caused by zoo visitors. Mobbing (a behavior typically displayed between wild cheetahs and their prey, but never before seen in captivity) was often recorded late in the evening between the cheetahs and their neighbours, sable antelopes, which presumably represented a source of behavioral enrichment. Conversely, the behavior of the male (which was located in a temporary enclosure) appeared to be of a poorer quality, characterised by signs of distress and incomplete use of the enclosure.

The new management plan adopted by Marwell Zoo is an adaptation of the 'six steps' husbandry developed in the U.S.A. It is rarely applied in European zoos, but at Marwell it has already led to the birth of a record number of cubs and markedly improved the behavior of these animals, and at minimal economic cost.

References

1. Martin, P.; Bateson, P. (1993). Measuring behaviour: an introductory guide. Second edition. Cambridge: CUP.

Paper presented at Measuring Behavior 2002 , 4^th International Conference on Methods and Techniques in Behavioral Research, 27-30 August 2002, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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