She may be sleek, fast and fiercely independent now, but two-year-old Cheetah Tish started life as a tiny underdog.
Born a single cub to her mother, Quella, Tish’s chances of survival were slim. In Cheetahs, singleton births often result in abandonment. Without a sibling to stimulate milk production or a strong hormonal drive for parenting, mothers like Quella typically walk away. It is nature’s way, but it is hard to witness.
“We knew it was going to be tough,” explains Carnivore Keeper Michelle Lloyd. “Quella’s sister Kaylee was pregnant too, and both girls were looking small. So we did some imaging and found out Kaylee had twins, and Quella just had the one.”
Cheetah breeding is a delicate process, and Zoos SA’s carnivore team had seen this before. Singletons rarely thrive. But this time, a pioneering plan was put into action: a cross-fostering attempt never before done in Australasia.
A bold idea and a race against instinct
When Quella gave birth to tiny Tish, the team waited and hoped. But just hours later, Quella left the den and did not return. It was time to act.
With support from vet nurses, animal keepers and the wider Zoos SA team, Tish was hand-raised around the clock for a week while the team waited for Kaylee to deliver. Alongside local expertise, guidance was sought from White Oak Conservation in the United States, an organisation with extensive experience in Cheetah breeding and fostering.
Once her twin cubs were born and mothering looked stable, the careful scent-matching process began. While Kaylee was gently shifted for a feed, the team rubbed straw bedding from all three cubs together, toileted them, and prepared the den.
“The vet nurses were incredible,” Michelle says. “Everything had to smell the same — no human scent. Then we let Kaylee back in.”
Her response? Acceptance.
“She walked in, started grooming, and never looked back.”
A first for Australasia, a future for Tish
The foster success marked a historic first for Australasia: the first time a Cheetah cub had been cross-fostered to another mother. And most importantly, Tish was raised cheetah-style, not human-style, setting her up for a full life within the breeding program.
Today, Tish is a fit and feisty two-year-old who loves sprinting through the main habitat at Monarto Safari Park. Her name, meaning “strong-willed girl” in Swahili, could not be more fitting.
She is also preparing for her next chapter. With genetics that make her a perfect match for future breeding, Tish is heading to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo to join their Cheetah program. It is part of a regional effort to safeguard this vulnerable species.
“It is bittersweet,” says Michelle. “We will miss her, but we know she is going to be part of something bigger.”
With only around 6,700 cheetahs left in the wild, programs like this are critical. Every cub counts. And thanks to Tish, and the team who dared to try something new, there is now one more path to saving this iconic species.
