Cheetah Translocation and Reintroduction Programs: Past, Present, and Future

Boast, Lorraine K.; Chelysheva, Elena V.; Merwe, Vincent van der; Schmidt‐Küntzel, Anne; Walker, Eli H.; Cilliers, Deon; Gusset, Markus; Marker, Laurie

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-804088-1.00020-4

Cited by 16 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…There are two fundamental questions -whether re-introductions should occur (if appropriate sites are identified 11 ), and which subspecies is most appropriate if they do. In terms of the latter, it has repeatedly been noted that while Iranian and Indian cheetah are most closely related genetically, the Asiatic cheetah population is critically endangered in Iran and not sufficiently robust to sustain offtake for reintroduction 9,10,17 . It is furthermore probable that the level of genetic differentiation between African cheetah subspecies and Asiatic cheetah is not sufficiently great as to genetically impact the ability of African cheetah to survive in India 17 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In terms of the latter, it has repeatedly been noted that while Iranian and Indian cheetah are most closely related genetically, the Asiatic cheetah population is critically endangered in Iran and not sufficiently robust to sustain offtake for reintroduction 9,10,17 . It is furthermore probable that the level of genetic differentiation between African cheetah subspecies and Asiatic cheetah is not sufficiently great as to genetically impact the ability of African cheetah to survive in India 17 . Reassuringly, genetic modelling confirms that the severe population bottleneck of African cheetah is many thousands of years old 7 , suggesting that low diversity has not precluded the survival of cheetah over vast, and ecologically variable, regions in Africa (2020) 10:4618 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-60751-7…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The question of whether re-introductions should occur is complex, and beyond the scope of this work. Experienced geneticists strongly support the reintroduction 10 , suitable sites have been discussed 11 , and the overall divergence between cheetah subspecies is not considered too large to preclude re-introduction 10,17 . Nevertheless, concerns remain 12 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ancient mtDNA from the extinct Indian cheetah supports unexpectedly deep divergence from African cheetahs

Rai

Verma

Gaur

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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The Indian cheetah was hunted to extinction by the mid-20th century. While analysis of 139 bp of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has confirmed that the Indian cheetah was part of the Asiatic subspecies (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus), the detailed relationships between cheetah populations remains unclear due to limited genetic data. We clarify these relationships by studying larger fragments of cheetah mtDNA, both from an Indian cheetah museum specimen and two African cheetah, one modern and one historic, imported into India at different times. Our results suggest that the most recent common ancestor of cheetah mtDnA is approximately twice as ancient as currently recognised. the indian and Southeast African (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) cheetah mtDNA diverged approximately 72 kya, while the Southeast and northeast African (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii) cheetah mtDnA diverged around 139 kya. Additionally, the historic African cheetah sampled from India proved to have an A. j. jubatus haplotype, suggesting a hitherto unrecognised South African route of cheetah importation into India in the 19 th century. Together, our results provide a deeper understanding of the relationships between cheetah subspecies, and have important implications for the conservation of A. j. venaticus and potential reintroduction of cheetahs into india.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ancient mtDNA from the extinct Indian cheetah supports unexpectedly deep divergence from African cheetahs

Rai

Verma

Gaur

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Within the Carnivora, this knowledge could be applied to artificial pack formation of endangered dholes Cuon alpinus and grey wolves Canis lupus . Outside of the Canidae, this could also be applied to creating coalitions of unrelated male cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus for reintroduction (Marnewick et al ., ; Boast et al ., ), as well as adding to the knowledge of creating viable lion prides (Slotow & Hunter, ). Our results can also provide a platform for the pair bonding or group formation of primates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors affecting the success of artificial pack formation in an endangered, social carnivore: the African wild dog

Marneweck

Becker

Beverley

et al. 2019

Animal Conservation

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Social integration is an important factor when reintroducing group-living species, but examples of the formation of social groups before reintroduction are largely lacking. African wild dogs Lycaon pictus are endangered, and reintroductions have become a routine part of range expansion in South Africa. Wild dogs form packs that are essential to their reproduction and survival, and artificial pack formation is often required before reintroduction. We examined the proximate (i.e. social integration) and ultimate (i.e. reproduction) success of 43 artificial pack formation attempts in the South African managed metapopulation, between 1995 and 2018. The top (and dominant) model for proximate success included an interaction between total group size and an initial separation fence. Larger groups took longer to integrate, irrespective of initial separation, whereas smaller groups brought together immediately integrated faster than those that were initially separated. The top models for ultimate success included an interaction between the proportion of males and number of days spent in the pre-release enclosure, the total number of days in the enclosure and an interaction between the proportion of captive-sourced individuals and the total number of days in the enclosure. Ultimate success increased when packs spent less time in the enclosure, especially if those packs had a low proportion of males (i.e. female biased) or included >25% captive-sourced individuals. Neither the size of the artificially created pack nor the season in which the pack was released affected ultimate success. The success of social integration and reproductive success of artificially formed packs in this study was higher than for natural pack formations. We provide guidelines for optimizing future artificial pack formation in wild dogs for reintroduction success. Our results serve as an example of the practical importance of social behavior in successfully implementing conservation measures for group-living species.

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“…Success depends on the aim of the translocation, the source of the translocated individuals, the number of individuals released and the cause of the original decline (Fischer & Lindenmayer, 2000). Translocations generally fail to reduce human–carnivore conflict and it is now widely accepted that such negative interactions are best mitigated by promoting coexistence (Linnell et al, 1997; Fischer & Lindenmayer, 2000; Boast et al, 2018a). However, translocations to establish or re-establish and augment populations of native, non-vulnerable, wildlife species seem more successful (Griffith et al, 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reassessment of an introduced cheetah Acinonyx jubatus population in Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe

Meer¹,

Sousa

Loveridge

2020

Oryx

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Translocations are used to mitigate human–wildlife conflict, secure population viability of isolated populations and introduce or reintroduce populations in former or new range. With wild species increasingly confined to small patches of habitat embedded in human-dominated landscapes, the use of translocations is likely to increase. The cheetah Acinonyx jubatus is a large carnivore species with a long history of translocations. As for other species, evaluation of the success of cheetah translocations is complicated by a scarcity of published results, especially of failed attempts. Yet, such information is crucial to improve future translocations. A relatively well documented case is the translocation of alleged problem cheetahs into Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe, in the early 1990s. In this study we used a combination of survey methods to reassess the status of Matusadona's cheetah population and model current occupancy in relation to densities of competing carnivores and altitude. Our findings indicate this cheetah population has effectively been extirpated, highlighting the importance of thorough planning and standardized long-term monitoring of translocated populations for the understanding of the factors that affect translocation success.

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Cheetah Translocation and Reintroduction Programs: Past, Present, and Future

Cited by 16 publications

References 30 publications

Ancient mtDNA from the extinct Indian cheetah supports unexpectedly deep divergence from African cheetahs

Ancient mtDNA from the extinct Indian cheetah supports unexpectedly deep divergence from African cheetahs

Factors affecting the success of artificial pack formation in an endangered, social carnivore: the African wild dog

Reassessment of an introduced cheetah Acinonyx jubatus population in Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe

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