WildLife Group
of the SAVA
Crystals and Cats:
the NZG, CCF and the University of Illinois work together to improve cheetah health
The NZG-CCF team:
Top row from left to right: Mr Antonie Kloppers, Ms Lucia Mhuulu, Dr Monica Mwale, Ms Gabriella Mulikita,
Ms Clemenica Tjazuko, Prof Karen Terio, Dr Anne Schmidt-Küntzel.
Bottom row from left to right: Mr Eli Walker, Mrs Katrin Hils, Dr Laurie Marker, Dr Emily Lane, Prof Antoinette
Kotze, Dr Desire Dalton.
Clemencia Tjazuko was an intern at the CCF genetics laboratory at the time of the NZG visit and attended the
meetings. Eli Walker works with scat detection dogs at CCF and gave a demonstration to the NZG team. Katrin
Hils joined the CCF genetics laboratory as staff on the last day of the meeting.
Captive cheetahs suffer from a disease caused by
oxalate crystals in the kidney. Similar disease is
occasionally seen in humans and domestic cats. The
cause in cheetahs is not certain, although in other
species the disease may be caused by an inherited
susceptibility, consumption of plants or other
materials (like antifreeze) that have high levels of
oxalate crystal forming compounds, infection with
organisms that produce oxalates, certain dietary
deficiencies, and other diseases that alter the
metabolism of oxalates in the body, such as liver,
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kidney, pancreas or intestinal disease. Since the freeranging cheetah population is vulnerable, maintaining
the health of cheetahs in captivity is of paramount
importance.
Prof Karen Terio of the Zoological Pathology
Programme (University of Illinois) and Dr Emily Lane
of the Research and Scientific Services Department
of the NZG are veterinary pathologists that have
been working together for several years to try and
understand the nature of the disease in the kidneys