Cheetahs At The Toronto Zoo

August 26, 2020·43 min·4 clips

Brent reveals how a cheetah's spine bends like a rubber hose to maximize its stride and reach speeds over 100 km/h.

Host Andrew Lewin, a marine conservation biologist, welcomes back zookeeper Brent Huffman to discuss cheetahs at the Toronto Zoo. Huffman is the lead keeper of mammals and oversees breeding programs for genetic diversity. The episode explores cheetah biology, zoo husbandry, and wild conservation. Cheetahs are a unique third branch of the cat family, distinct from roaring big cats and purring small cats. Their bodies are built for speed, with recorded sprints reaching 107 kilometers per hour. They possess a narrow frame, deep chest for large lungs, and an extremely flexible spine to maximize stride length. The Toronto Zoo has bred over 50 cubs, but cheetahs are challenging to breed due to low genetic diversity and picky mating preferences. The zoo manages a Species Survival Plan and uses separate facilities to house males and females, allowing for controlled breeding introductions. Currently, the zoo houses four cheetahs: one male named Bakari and three females, including a 14-year-old named Emma. A genetic bottleneck in the wild has left cheetahs with naturally low genetic diversity, making managed breeding crucial for population health. Male cheetahs can form coalitions, often with brothers, which aids in hunting and defense, while females are typically solitary. The zoo diet includes a ground feline diet, whole prey like rabbits and quails, bones for dental health, and meat strips used as training rewards. Keepers perform voluntary blood draws from the tail using meat strips to monitor health, especially in older cats. In the wild, cheetahs are considered vulnerable, with only about 7,000 left in Africa and a critically endangered Asian population of roughly 100. The Cheetah Conservation Fund runs a livestock guard dog program, providing Anatolian Shepherds to farmers to reduce human-wildlife conflict. These working dogs live with livestock to deter cheetahs without displacing them from their habitat. The episode highlights the individual personalities of the zoo's cheetahs, from the affectionate Emma to the more defensive Laney. The tone is conversational and educational, driven by the host's curiosity and the keeper's expertise. Listeners interested in animal behavior, zoo science, and conservation strategies will find this episode engaging. Those seeking highly produced narrative storytelling or debates on animal ethics might find it less suited to their tastes.

As heard by us

A clear cheetah episode that keeps conservation genetics close to the ground.

Wild For Life uses cheetahs to open up speed, body design, social behavior, and the conservation work behind breeding and genetics. The episode is easy to follow, but it does not stay shallow for long.

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Want a cheetah episode that goes beyond speed and into conservation at the Toronto Zoo?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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