The Applied Biosystems Genetic Conservation Laboratory is the latest tool in the international effort to save the endangered cheetah population.
The lab, located at the headquarters of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Otjiwarongo, Namibia is the result of collaboration between CCF and Applied Biosystems.
Through this arrangement, Applied Biosystems is providing genetic-analysis systems and reagents to enable CCF to initiate a genetic-conservation programme as part of its mission to help ensure the long-term survival of the cheetah.
To address the challenge of effectively monitoring the wild cheetah population, five scientists have been trained on advanced genomic-analysis technology and have developed a non-invasive, genetic-monitoring programme designed to provide accurate population-estimates of cheetahs in Namibia and other home-range countries.
This includes the development of a multiplexed panel of genetic markers to genotype and track cheetah populations.
The laboratory is also being used to address research questions involving how cheetah genes transfer from one population to another, geographical patterns of genetic variation and adaptive questions related to the animals' behaviour in specific habitats.
Cheetahs are one of the most specialised cat species, exhibiting minimal amounts of genetic diversity, with approximately 99 per cent of their genes being identical.
In most mammalian species, 80 per cent of the genes in related individuals are identical.
This lack of variation is the result of inbreeding, compromising their ability to adjust to sudden environmental changes and making them highly susceptible to certain viruses, as well as causing reproductive and health problems.
Today, less than 10,000 wild cheetahs exist globally, classifying them as an endangered species under the US Endangered Species Act.
Namibia is home to the largest number of free-ranging cheetahs, with 20 per cent of the world's wild population.
