Cheetah numbers are declining, with fewer than 7 000 individuals in the wild, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Those cheetahs that do survive often face life-threatening situations, including territorial conflict with lions, african wild dog, leopard and hyena species.
But their most insidious challenge isn’t what you’d expect. It’s themselves. Their staggeringly low genetic diversity is largely to blame for their status as a vulnerable species.
‘The global cheetah population stems from about 10 breeding pairs that survived a bottleneck effect around 12 000 years ago, near the end of the last Ice Age,’ explains Johann Lombard, CEO of Lalibela Wildlife Reserve in the Eastern Cape, where the current cheetah population centres around a dominant male and a breeding female, with a new litter of six cubs born early in 2025.
A genetic bottleneck occurs when a population experiences a sudden and dramatic reduction in size, and can happen as a result of natural disasters, habitat loss or human activities. The remaining cheetahs ended up mating with relatives, and inbreeding decreased the size of the gene pool. ‘The species’ genetic makeup is now so uniform that you could take a skin graft from a cheetah in South Africa and apply it to an Asiatic cheetah and successfully complete the graft,’ says Lombard.
Research reveals these swift hunters possess just 0,1–4% of the genetic variation found in average living species. ‘This extreme genetic uniformity is like having an entire species with the same immune system vulnerabilities,’ explains Lombard. ‘When one cheetah is susceptible to a particular disease, virtually all of them are. A single pathogen could potentially devastate the entire species.’ This genetic homogeneity also manifests in poor sperm quality, smaller litter sizes, higher cub mortality rates and significantly reduced ability to adapt to environmental changes such as new diseases, climate shifts or habitat alterations.
To help address this issue, a carefully designed genetic exchange programme is underway at Lalibela, in collaboration with other reserves. While cheetahs have extremely low genetic diversity compared to other species, subtle genetic differences do exist between populations in different regions. ‘Even minimal genetic variation can be critical,’ explains Lombard, ‘and by strategically moving cheetahs between reserves and preventing closely related individuals from breeding, we can preserve what little genetic diversity remains and potentially allow new beneficial mutations to spread through the population.’
As such, three cubs born at Lalibela in October 2023 have been successfully relocated: a subadult female was moved to Thanda Game Reserve and two subadult males went to Wagendrift Game Reserve, both in KwaZulu-Natal. These strategic relocations will create essential genetic corridors between otherwise isolated cheetah populations.
‘The science behind these transfers is crucial, as the consequences of inbreeding might not be visible immediately but could manifest by the fifth or sixth litter as problematic traits, such as reduced fertility, compromised immune systems, skeletal abnormalities or neurological issues,’ Lombard explains. ‘These issues arise precisely because there isn’t enough genetic variation to buffer against harmful recessive genes.’
In the near future, Lalibela hopes to welcome two male cheetahs from a reserve in Limpopo. These newcomers will undergo a structured ‘soft release’ process, beginning with a period in a boma enclosure that allows them to acclimatise through sight, sound and smell, before full release. Once released, the pair will be closely monitored to ensure they’re thriving in their new home.
By facilitating these genetic exchanges between reserves, Lalibela contributes to maintaining the diversity necessary for cheetahs to reproduce successfully and to adapt to environmental changes – their best hope for long-term survival. This strategic planning is part of a broader approach coordinated across reserves throughout South Africa. ‘We’re managing both the meta-population across the country and micro-populations within each reserve,’ Lombard explains.
Preparations for the newcomers to Lalibela include darting the resident dominant male and relocating him to Lalibela North, a new tract of land recently added to the existing property. This will create a necessary separation to prevent potential territorial conflicts with the incoming males. In addition, ‘Moving the adult male to the north section will prepare herbivores located there to become accustomed to predators, which is essential for their natural behaviour development,’ notes Lombard. ‘This careful choreography ensures both animal welfare and optimal predator balance across our landscape.’
Visitors to Lalibela are able to witness this conservation initiative firsthand when they’re on safari. ‘By maintaining breeding pairs on different locations of the reserve, we’re enhancing the visitor experience while fulfilling our conservation mission,’ Lombard says. ‘Guests joining our twice-daily game drives from any of our six distinctive lodges will continue to enjoy exceptional cheetah sightings while learning about the science of conservation in action.’