The zoo officials know it’s not an easy task given the fact that the male cheetahs, who live in groups, usually attack the females, which are solitary in nature and seldom show any reproductive behaviour.

“Breeding cheetah is very challenging. But we will make this

happen. We will soon visit De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust is South Africa to get the training

in breeding of the endangered species. De Wildt has achieved remarkable success in increasing the population of the spotted big cat,” said V J Rana, director Sakkar Baug Zoo.

Breeding among predators have been made possible by the De Wildt after several experiments, which ended up in constructing a “lovers’ lane” along the female enclosures to allow easy access to the males, he said.

If there’s a positive response, the couple is put together.

“The unique breeding technique has succeeded in the South African zoos. We also plan to adopt the same method and construct similar enclosures so as to multiply their population,” Rana added.

Sakkar Baug Zoo is the country’s only zoo to house cheetah in the captive for breeding. All four weigh between 35 and 50 kg and are in a healthy condition.

Rana further said the animals after two months of quarantine period have been put for display since Monday, but the aim is to make the cheetah self-sustaining in captivity. The long-term goal,

he said, is to “have it all” to improve the count of captive cheetahs and then release them into the wild of the Gir forest. But it will take a long time and constant efforts, he added.

Cheetah is an endangered species (classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List) and declining throughout their range. The effective breeding population is estimated to be below 10,000 individuals and the species face threat of persecution by man and habitat loss.