The Cheetah Experience's breeding project to maintain genetic diversity and conservation of the species in South Africa.

The cheetah (Acinonyx Jubatus) in South Africa is listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) database. Many factors have contributed to the decreasing numbers of the cheetahs, but one of the main threats is their lack of genetic diversity. For this reason, different organizations and projects have been created with the purpose to help maintain genetic diversity and the conservation of the cheetah in South Africa. One of those entities is the non-profit organization ‘The Cheetah Experience’, which has an ongoing Cheetah Breeding project. The organization's aim is to release some of their cheetahs into a protected and self-sustaining habitat, supplying new genetic material to the wild population. DNA is systematically collected from all cheetahs within the organization and a microsatellite analysis is conducted to assess the degree of relatedness between individuals. The resulting data is utilized to generate Relatedness Analysis and Percentage Relatedness reports, providing valuable insights into the genetic relationships within the cheetah population at the facility. These analyses play a crucial role in monitoring relatedness and assessing potential mating pairs through genomic analysis. The organization possesses a deep understanding of cheetah mating behavior and has developed a system to foster mating interest between male and female cheetahs. Cheetahs selected for release undergo a comprehensive wilding program structured in five phases.This program aims to facilitate their adaptation to the new environment where they will be released. The Cheetah Experience’s breeding program has been so far successful in their captive breeding management, producing 50 cubs and releasing 13 animals in the wild.