Hug This Animal: Cheetah

I have to admit to being a bit afraid each time I pass by the cheetah exhibit at my local zoo. The tigers, lions, leopards, cougars — none of them scare me quite like the cheetah. That’s my local cheetah below, looking all sleek and camouflaged. (I snapped the first photo below a couple of weeks ago.) I’m not complaining though. Predators are important. Keep reading.

Cheetahs are sprinters, with unique bodies optimized to run very fast for short distances. They can catch prey that escapes the other big cats. Considered the world’s fastest land mammal, cheetahs run at speeds up to 70 mph. In the wild, they eat birds, rabbits, ostriches, antelope and porcupines. Unlike some other big cats, cheetahs hunt during the day, and their hunting time can be impacted by tourists on safari rides in cheetah habitat.

A century ago there were around 100,000 cheetahs estimated in the wild. IUCN (The World Conservation Union) estimates that today there are around 10,000 mature breeding cheetahs left in the wild. The cheetahs live in 25 African countries, and about 100 cheetahs are estimated to live in Iran.

With more and more land being used for livestock, the cheetah is running out of territory in which to hunt. IUCN lists the reasons for declining numbers as “habitat and prey base loss and persecution.” Farmers and ranchers in cheetah habitat get a bit angry when cheetahs eat their livestock, so many are shot. Some cheetahs are shot even when they haven’t eaten livestock. Others are hunted for fur.

In addition to loss of habitat, cheetahs also struggle with a loss of genetic variation from inbreeding, making them susceptible to disease. Cheetahs do not breed well in captivity. The cheetah is listed as endangered by the United States Endangered Species Act, making the import of cheetah skins or trophies into the US illegal.

The Cheetah Conservation Fund is working with local farmers in Namibia (home to the highest number of cheetahs) to help prevent cheetah deaths at the hands of ranchers. They’ve implemented programs, such as the Livestock Guarding Dog program, which provides ranchers with Anatolian dogs to guard their livestock from predators. Farmers with these dogs have reported a reduction in losses, helping them to co-exist with cheetahs.

You can sponsor one of these dogs by donating at The Cheetah Conservation Fund, awarded the Independent Charities of America’s Best in America Seal.

Another fun way to help the cheetah is to participate in an upcoming Run for the Cheetah in Chicago, Phoenix or Portland, OR. Or try to get a run started in your area!

Does it matter if the cheetah goes extinct?

Yes. If the loss of a beautiful creature isn’t reason enough, consider that entire ecosystems are affected when a predator such as the cheetah ceases to exist. For example, after grey wolves were re-introduced in Yellowstone National Park, disappearing fauna (home to birds) began to recover due to a reduction in the elk population that had exploded when the grey wolf was eradicated from the area. And since grey wolves also hunt coyotes, bald eagles and hawks in the park now have more rodents to eat. CNN’s documentary, Planet in Peril explains the re-introduction of the grey wolf. If you haven’t seen the globe-trotting documentary, I highly recommend it.

In closing, can we let the world’s fastest land mammal go extinct? Unfortunately, it’s left up to people like you and those at The Cheetah Conservation Fund (and other groups) to try to keep these animals on earth.