MAF funding may lead to rare births of captive clouded leopard cubs
by Heather Grimshaw
From AnimalNews 9.1
The clouded leopard population is in dire straits. Only 78 cats remain in the North American Clouded Leopard Species Survival conservation program. Because of various factors—including a high rate of males killing females and reproductive issues—their numbers continue to fall.
But Morris Animal Foundation (MAF)–funded efforts to develop hormone protocols for artificial insemination show promise—and soon, a baby may be on the way.
With MAF funding, Dr. Katey Pelican and Dr. JoGayle Howard at the Smithsonian Institution learned that ovulation cycles in clouded leopards differ from those of other cats. About 50 percent of clouded leopards ovulate spontaneously after estrus (heat) in contrast to ovulation induced only by breeding (typical for most cats). After studying hormone prototocols in 38 animals, several clouded leopards were inseminated using the optimum hormones.
The collaborating zoos fed female clouded leopards meatballs injected with “whopping” levels of progesterone to shut the ovaries down. Then injections of ovarian-stimulating hormones brought the cats into heat so the team could schedule the insemination with the synchronized ovulations. If all goes well, the resulting babies will be the first clouded leopards born in the United States since 2003.
Mystifying creatures
Described as little acrobats that swing on the tiniest limbs, clouded leopards have enormous paws and dart down trees vertically. Males, at about 50 pounds, are almost twice the size of females and have the longest canine teeth of any cat species.
Most clouded leopards in the United States are close cousins, if not siblings, which poses a genetic diversity quagmire. To address the problem, a consortium of conservation agencies began a breeding and research program in Thailand. However, environmental stress, confined cages, inconsistent keepers and limited nesting boxes in this country stack the deck against mating. Most attempts to pair clouded leopards result in fatalities, though Pelican notes that once cats pair up, they breed regularly.
Better breeding in the works
Pelican and Howard broadened the research to include ways to reduce stress and enrich gene pools naturally. They discovered that introducing males to females while the male is still young (about 1 year old) and hasn’t hit puberty reduces its aggression toward potential mates. The team also brought six cubs from Thailand, where 39 clouded leopards have been born since 2002. Cubs from this area are genetically valuable because they are not closely related to the North American cats and will help diversify the gene pool. The goal is to bring the population total to 120 cats in North America.
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