IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Leemans, D. | |
| Diet of the cheetah and function of its digestive system | |
| 2015 Full Book | |
Over the past century, cheetah numbers in the wild have declined with 90% and the cheetah is listed on Appendix 1 by CITES, which include species threatened with extinction. It is therefore important to ensure the thriving and breeding of this species in captivity. Studies show that this is not the case and that captive populations have a high prevalence of gastritis, glomerulosclerosis, systemic amyloidosis and veno-occlusive disease in comparison to free-ranging cheetahs. This suggests that properties of imprisonment are inducing factors in these disorders. First, stress has a general negative influence on the function of an animal's immune system and can therefore play a role in any kind of disease. More specific, it is thought that stress plays an important part in the occurrence of glomerulosclerosis. Secondary, choice of diet formulation can influence the prevalence of the degenerative diseases most frequently observed in this species. Carcasses exercise the masticatory apparatus, preventing the development of focal palatine erosion. An excessive supply of protein increases production of several putrefactive compounds with negative effect especially on the kidneys plus, once amino acids are absorbed, they induce renal hypertension resulting in sclerosis. Gastritis was also more common in animals fed horsemeat or had a high intake of crude protein and less common in animals fed chicken or hides, viscera, ribs, muscle meat at least once per week. The goal is to improve feeding strategies to reduce the prevalence of these disorders linked to captive housing of cheetahs. |
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