Successful predatory avoidance behaviour to lion auditory cues during soft-release from captivity in cheetah

Due to global biodiversity declines, conservation
programs have increasingly had to consider the value of reintroducing captive
animals into the wild. However, reintroductions often fail as captive
individuals may be naïve to predators and do not recognize or respond timeously
to predatory cues, contributing to high mortality rates soon after release.
This study evaluates differences in predator response behaviours between
individuals from captive, semi-wild (i.e., raised in captivity and successfully
released) and wild populations of cheetah (Acinonyx
jubatus) to an artificially simulated auditory threat of lions (Panthera leo), a larger, natural
predator in South Africa. Such comparisons improve our understanding of
differences between captive and wild behaviours and provide an aspect to evaluating
the relative success of soft-release programs. Changes in the proximal distance,
the latency of approach and hesitation toward both control (African bush
cricket) and treatment (lion) auditory cues were observed for 29 cheetah from
captive, semi-wild and wild populations in at least three trail replicates. Overall,
captive individuals consistently displayed poor predatory response behaviours,
approaching the treatment as often as the control, spending time near the stimulus
(<10m) and often hesitating. Whereas both semi-wild and wild individuals could
distinguish between the control and treatment, consistently fleeing from the
latter, with little hesitation. Repeatability analyses indicated that these behavioural
responses to predatory cues could not be explained by individual personality
and between-trial learning comparisons showed no evidence of habituation. Our findings
demonstrate how a priori testing for predator naïvety could inform
future introductory decisions and thereby increase post-release survival rates,
significantly improving the efficacy of reintroduction strategies. We, therefore,
emphasize the importance of such research and screening in highly threatened
species, such as cheetah, where reintroduction from captivity has become a
necessary consideration.