After 60 Days of Mating, Female Cheetah Undergoes Examination; Veterinarian Relieved It's Not a 'False Pregnancy'
Recently, researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have been in a state of heightened alert, eagerly awaiting the births of several cheetah cubs expected to be born before April 10, 2020.
Fig: Cheetahs living at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
As an endangered cat species, the cheetah is facing an unprecedented crisis. In the wild, due to habitat loss and human hunting and killing, the wild cheetah population has fallen below 7,500; in captivity, cheetahs are difficult to breed, with few captive cheetahs and the problem of inbreeding.
To give cheetahs a better future, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and another 9 animal protection agencies in the United States have jointly implemented a 'Species Survival Plan' for cheetahs. The researchers of these 10 institutions involved in the project are facing a significant amount of pressure, as they must ensure at least 40 healthy cheetah cubs are born each year to maintain the sustainable development of the captive cheetah population.
Years of research investment have allowed the researchers at this institute to gain rich experience, they deeply realizeProviding cheetahs with more mating choices and protecting their daily lives as privately as possible can significantly improve the probability of their natural breeding success.This has been verified by a 5-year-old female cheetah named 'Ika'. As a distinctive female cheetah, Ika is very picky about choosing mates, and after the researchers' efforts to 'match' her, she finally successfully paired with a 4-year-old male cheetah named Scott.
Fig: 5-year-old cheetah Ika and 4-year-old cheetah Scott
The gestation period for cheetahs is about 90 days. However, researchers have found that it is necessary for a female cheetah to complete mating before accurately determining whether it is in a state of pregnancy, after it completes mating, it needs to be full 60 days.During the first 60 days after mating, some cheetahs will exhibit 'false pregnancy' phenomena, that is, female cheetahs do not have a pregnancy but their bodies show signs of pregnancy, such as increased appetite.This often makes the researchers from initial excitement to ultimate disappointment.
Therefore, after a female cheetah mates, researchers must continuously monitor them in order to take appropriate protective measures at the accurate time. Fortunately, on March 2, 2020, which is 60 days after female cheetah Ika mates, the veterinarian conducted an X-ray examination on it, the result was a big sigh of relief:The cheetah Ika did not have a 'false pregnancy', but it was pregnant with 3 cubs (or possibly 4 cubs).
Fig: Veterinarian examining cheetah
Now, these cubs are about to be born, and the institute's staff are eager to see these little guys. They have specially prepared multiple mini-houses for female cheetah Ika, which can both satisfy the cat's 'nesting' habit and provide warm, comfortable, well-ventilated and suitable for cheetah cubs production and raising.
It is really painstaking for the researchers to help the cheetah population produce more descendants.
