Female cheetahs are very discerning when it comes to choosing a mate. If a male cheetah doesn’t meet her standards, she won’t even consider him. This is exactly what happened at the Salzburg Zoo. As a result, a plan was developed to introduce new mates to the three-year-old female cheetah and send her to Tierwelt Herberstein! If the effort is successful, she could give birth as early as October.

Purrr… a cheetah!

Since yesterday, the East Styrian cheetahs Aketi and Kolloquo have been vying for the attention of the noble big cat! “Our two cheetahs, who were born at the Salzburg Zoo and have lived in Herberstein since 2005, are meeting female cheetahs for the first time!” says Tierwelt director Doris Wolkner-Steinberger.  The female cheetah Sun is expected to stay in Herberstein for 4 to 6 weeks, after which she will return to her home zoo, where her offspring will also be born. If the mating is not successful, the hope is that, after her change of scenery , she will take a shine to her Salzburg counterparts!

Species Conservation: “Mating According to Plan”

Species conservation is one of the most important tasks of a zoo. When it comes to “mate selection,” nothing is left to chance. To maintain a stable population of an endangered species, breeding efforts are coordinated internationally. The coordinator thus maintains an overview of the population of a specific animal species—an important prerequisite for preserving the genetic diversity of that species at the zoo.