cheetah capture and immobilisation handbook - Cat Specialist Group

Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..1
Section 1 – Background
(1.1) – Cheetah subspeciation……………………………………………………..1
(1.2) – Current cheetah distribution worldwide.…………………………………..2
Section 2 – Physical capture of cheetahs
(2.1) – Methods of physical capture………………………………………………4
(2.2) – Placement of cheetah traps………………………………………………...5
(2.3) – Catching an entire group of cheetahs……………………………………...8
(2.4) – Handling cheetahs once they have been captured…………………………9
(2.5) – Human safety……………………………………………………………..10
Section 3 – Chemical capture
(3.1) – Preparations before chemical capture……………………………………11
(3.2) – Choosing an anaesthetic agent…………………………………………...11
(3.3) – Dosage……………………………………………………………………12
(3.4) – Administration of the anaesthetic agent………………………………….13
Section 4 - Anaesthesia
(4.1) – After administration of the drug………………………………………….16
(4.2) – Once the cheetah is anaesthetised...……………………………………...16
(4.3) – Recovery from anaesthesia……………………………………………….18
(4.4) – Post-anaesthesia………………………………………………………….18
Section 5 – Biomedical examination
(5.1) – Marking the cheetah for future identification……………………………21
(5.2) – Collecting biomedical samples…………………………………………..23
(5.3) – Collecting morphometric data……………………………………………26
(5.4) – Observation of abnormalities…………………………………………….30
Appendices
Appendix I – Forms used by CCF for immobilisations
Appendix II – Measurement protocols
Appendix III – Cheetah Husbandry Manual
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