Cat Conservation Collaboration

Through concerted efforts of multiple institutions, reproductive biology is used to further species populations of vulnerable cats.

By Lindsay Jarvis, Staff Writer

During a visit in March 2023, team members from the Cincinnati Zoo's Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) partnered with The Living Desert veterinary and animal care staff to collect sperm from male sand cats.

As leaders in small cat conservation, The Living Desert is thrilled to be part of collaborative efforts in reproductive biology to help strengthen species populations in human care. Both the sand cat and black-footed cat are threatened by issues such as habitat loss, climate change, and the illegal pet trade. These small predators, along with a much larger one — the jaguar — were recently part of a semen banking project where specimens were collected and frozen as part of a collaborative program with Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant #MG-245393-OMS-20.

During a visit in March 2023, team members from the Cincinnati Zoo's Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) partnered with The Living Desert veterinary and animal care staff to collect sperm from male sand cats.

During a visit in March 2023, team members from the Cincinnati Zoo's Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) partnered with The Living Desert veterinary and animal care staff to collect sperm from male sand cats.

Over two visits, Dr. Lindsey Vansandt and other team members from Cincinnati Zoo’s Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) came to The Living Desert’s Tennity Wildlife Hospital & Conservation Center and worked with our veterinary team for specimen collection of a black-footed cat, six sand cats, and our jaguar, Memo. These specimens were frozen and can be used for future artificial insemination (AI), allowing for gene preservation, and increased genetic diversity within a population. Once frozen, the samples may be used at a much later date if needed, acting as a “back-up” should a species be no longer able to naturally reproduce.

To further help with human care management — and ultimately wild population management — in one of the least-known small cats, The Living Desert is proud to be a financial supporter of a collaborative research project specifically focused on artificial insemination (AI) for the vulnerable black-footed cat. Successful AI in this species has not yet been achieved, mainly limited by the lack of females available for study. In partnership with Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, this proposal aims to perform three to five black-footed cat AI procedures during the next three years using both fresh and cryopreserved spermatozoa. While blackfooted cat conservation efforts will continue to focus on breeding, these advances in assisted reproductive technologies will aid in sustaining their small human care population.

The Living Desert looks forward to future reproductive biology collaborations and to seeing the outcomes of possible artificial insemination births yet to come.

Black-footed cat

Desert Carnivore Conservation Center

The Living Desert’s Desert Carnivore Conservation Center (DC3) is a behind-the-scenes care facility that focuses on research, breeding, and conservation for small desert carnivores such as the black-footed cat, sand cat, and fennec fox. The DC3 has seen several significant births so far, all part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) cooperatively managed Species Survival Plan® (SSP) programs. While the DC3 is not open to the public, guests at The Living Desert can now see many of its residents in a habitat located on the African Safari pathway, across from the African painted dogs. This gives the animals an opportunity to experience new spaces and stimuli and allows the guests to learn about these incredible species. Depending on the day, you may see either a black-footed cat, sand cat, or a fennec fox in the habitat. To learn more about the newly born fennec fox triplets at DC3 as well as other recent Zoo births, see page 21.

Jaguar