Wildlife Safari began breeding cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in 1972 and successfully produced a litter the following year. Since then, 163 cheetahs have been born at the park. These statistics place Wildlife Safari as one of the top breeders of cheetahs in the U.S. and the western hemisphere. Through our partnership with the Association of Zoo and Aquarium's (AZA) Species Survival Plan for cheetahs, cubs born at the park have populated zoos across the U.S.

The addition of new genetics to the population and the promise of cubs are significant to the U.S. population of cheetahs, as according to the breeding recommendations from the AZA’s Cheetah SSP, the number of cubs born in the U.S. dropped significantly during the 1990s. If American zoos are to maintain a sustainable population of cheetahs, successful breeding must increase and remain at a high level through the rest of this decade. Having these amazing cats in zoo populations allows us to educate our guests and conduct research that helps the endangered cheetah both in captivity and the wild.

Cheetahs are native to Africa, with approximately 10,000 in 24-26 African countries and less than 100 animals in Iran. The largest African population is in Namibia with apx. 3,000 animals. Cheetahs are endangered due to habitat loss, poaching and hunting by farmers worried about their livestock. An average cheetah weighs 80-130 lbs. They are carnivorous and prey on gazelles and other small to medium-sized hoofstock. Cheetahs live, on average, 6-8 years in the wild and 10-15 years in captivity.

Cheetahs are the fastest land mammal and can reach speeds of 70 miles per hour for short sprints. They are built for speed with a deep chest for large lungs and a powerful heart. They have a stride length of 20 feet. This is the distance between a foot touching the ground and that same foot touching the ground again. A cheetah's spine is very flexible; flexing and extending helps lengthen its spine as it runs. Their hind legs push sequentially rather than together like other animals, so all four feet are off the ground at one time, giving the cheetah the appearance of flight. The tail serves as a rudder and as a brake during high speed pursuits.

Click here to learn about our cheetah and dog pair, Ellie and Sanurra!

Significant Milestones in Cheetah Breeding at Wildlife Safari

September 2010

Big news! On September 6, 2010, two cubs were born to an 11-year old female. The two little male cubs are numbers 162 & 163 born at Wildlife Safari, and represent intense efforts by the Cheetah Department to produce the treasured cheetahs. At their fist checkup four days after birth, the cubs were determined to be in excellent health and being well cared for by their mother. The cubs won’t be on public display for at least six months, but Wildlife Safari will keep the public informed on their growth and progress.

November 2009

Even though we were unable to participate in any cheetah breeding this year, it has still been a very exciting year for the Cheetah Department. National Geographic came to the park for three days to film our animals. Our hand-raised cheetah Sanurra, was filmed running on a lure system. They filmed her with a high resolution camera that captures her running and turning corners in slow motion. This slow motion breakdown of her stride will allow viewers to see how cheetahs use the mechanics of their body’s to sprint up to 70mph and still turn on a dime. They also used a heat sensing camera to film her after she ran. These images show her black spots glowing while they release heat from her body. The show will be called “The Moment of Impact” and will be aired on the National Geographic channel in May 2010.

Throughout the year our Cheetah Ambassador, Taini, has traveled many miles to do appearances in schools and at fundraisers. We took Taini to the “Big Cat, Big Party” in Portland, Oregon to help raise money for the Cheetah Conservation Fund.