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Due to ongoing threats such as habitat loss, fragmentation, and deterioration, most of the world’s wild cat species are threatened or endangered. As these wild populations continue to decline, developing sustainable, genetically diverse zoo-based populations has become increasingly important for securing their long-term survival. Over the past three decades, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) has partnered with zoos around the world to better understand feline reproduction and develop cutting edge tools to help save these species.

Through its Imperiled Cat Signature Project, CREW has developed innovative assisted reproductive technologies (ART) that have advanced our ability to produce offspring in a multitude of wild cat species. These include improved semen freezing methods that lead to more viable sperm after thawing, as well as species-specific artificial insemination (AI) protocols tailored to meet the unique needs of each felid.

As a pioneer in the field of wildlife ART, CREW plays a vital role in supporting the conservation of many felid species. This work is executed in partnership with Species Survival Plans (SSPs), which are cooperative breeding programs coordinated by the Felid Taxon Advisory Group and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), as well as AZA-accredited institutions and global conservation partners. These SSPs help determine which individuals will be good breeding matches; however optimal pairs are not always housed at the same zoo. Transporting cats can be logistically challenging, therefore transporting semen instead of animals is an attractive alternative. Thanks to CREW’s work, once felid semen is collected, it can be frozen and stored long-term. There are more than a thousand semen samples currently preserved in CREW’s CryoBioBank®, ready to be transported to a female for an AI procedure months, or even years, after collection.

In addition to semen collection and AI, CREW’s veterinary team conducts comprehensive reproductive exams to assess the health of female cats. By combining ultrasound and endoscopy to visualize the reproductive tract along with microscopic evaluation of cells and tissues, the team uses a full suite of tools to detect early and often subtle signs of reproductive disease. This comprehensive approach helps identify issues that may affect fertility, allowing for earlier intervention and the preservation of reproductive health.

In 2025, the Imperiled Cat Signature Project team traveled to 25 zoos in 21 US states to perform reproductive exams, semen collections, and AIs in eight felid species! We are honored to be able to collaborate with our fellow zoos and aquariums to advance wild cat ART and look forward to another year of reproduction research and feline conservation in 2026.