Christmas came early for Cango Wildlife Ranch and Conservation Centre and we were lucky enough to capture rare footage between mom and cubs!

Nothing brings joy like the pitter-patter (and purrs) of new life, which is exactly what the Cango Wildlife Ranch family has been spoilt with! On 7 November, first-time mom, Sansa (cheetah) gave birth to 4 perfect little bundles of fur at the facility’s private reserve.

We have many reasons to celebrate their birth, with their lineage being paramount. Not only do the cubs contribute to helping the world to better understand their species, but the management of their strong and genetically diverse bloodlines make an excellent contribution to the in-situ population management of the species. Since the inception of the Cheetah Preservation Foundation (non-profit company in 1988) our cheetahs have provided abundant data to the global pool of healthy cheetah management practices, research and education of these species.

Classified as vulnerable, and with estimated wild population numbers dwindling below 7100, this species is running a grueling race for survival. Pressure from climate change, hunting by humans, and habitat destruction are dramatically reducing their wild populations. Cheetahs have a low reproductive success rate and as a species they are not always able to successfully reproduce. With fewer offspring, the population can neither grow nor adapt to changes in their ever-changing, and human encroached wild environments.

Cheetahs are also well-known for facing problems from their own genes, which is specifically what Cango Wildlife Ranch is working on rectifying. The reason?... genetic analysis of wild cheetahs indicates that the species have survived at least two bottleneck events, one over 100 000 years ago, and another between 10 000 – 12 000 years ago. In biology, a bottleneck event occurs when something happens to sharply reduce the size of the population. The result is that the few remaining individuals end up mating with relatives; which in any species, is referred to as inbreeding. This reduces the size of the gene pool and leads to problems such as decreased genetic variability and the persistence of potentially harmful mutations.

WAZA (the World Association of Zoo’s and Aquaria) is comprised of 300 hand-picked memberships of the top animal facilities in the world of which we are proud to be one. Our primary objective is therefore to focus on vulnerable and endangered species management, so that should there be a collapse in wild populations, we will be able to assist with the strongest attainable bloodlines to help bolster declining species, globally.

Last minute, Sansa opted to leave her comfy and secure night quarters and set up nest in a dense but low canopy of Spekboom, where she gave birth. The rain that followed had us all on tenterhooks, but the team monitored them closely and Sansa proved that her amazing maternal instincts far surpassed what she lacked in experience. Known for her strong-willed personality… we are not in the least surprised, but we are indeed proud!

After what has been a trialling year, the birth of four healthy cheetah cubs is reason to celebrate! For us and the species, and we are elated!

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