![]() To help combat these problems, AWF is working to engage communities and minimize human-wildlife conflict.īy teaching communities that share space with cheetahs how to farm and expand sustainably and providing incentives for using the best practices, AWF is encouraging the people and animals are able to coexist peacefully. This causes farmers to view them as pests and kill them in retaliation. As people expand into the cheetahs’ habitat, their usual prey is disappearing as well, forcing them to prey on livestock. The other problem cheetahs are currently facing is human-wildlife conflict. However, as the human populations grow and people expand agriculture and civilization into the grassland, more and more of the cheetahs’ habitat is disappearing. Where they do live (mostly Eastern and Southern Africa), they tend to be found widely but sparsely.Ĭheetahs live where their prey is: the open plains. Over the years, the cheetah’s habitat has shrunk dramatically, and it is now only 25% of its former size. The high cub mortality rate is only one problem for cheetahs, though they also face a lot of human-wildlife conflict and habitat loss. Now, there are about 7,500 adults left in the wild the population has decreased by about 30% just in the past 18 years. In 1900, an estimated 100,000 cheetahs could be found across Africa. Approximately 50-75% die in the first three months of life because they are so susceptible to disease and predators such as eagles, hyenas, and lions.Ĭheetahs are currently classified as “vulnerable” by the IUCN. Unfortunately, there is a very high cub mortality rate among cheetahs. ![]() Mom will bring a small, live antelope back to her cubs so they can chase and catch it. On occasion, a male will hang out with a female after mating, but other than that, the female is either with her cubs or by herself.Ĭubs spend a long time with their mothers as they learn to hunt. Most of the time, cheetahs are solitary animals. Unlike most other cats, cheetahs prefer to hunt during the day, particularly early morning or early evening. ![]() It then eats as quickly as possible while looking out for scavengers such as lions, leopards, hyenas, vultures, and jackals, who will steal from the very shy cheetah. The cheetah then uses its paw to swipe the animal to the ground and then suffocates it with a bite to the neck. When a cheetah hunts, it gets as close as possible to its prey before trying to outrun it with a burst of speed. In short, cheetahs are built for speed, grace, and hunting.Ĭheetahs mainly prey on small antelopes such as Thomson’s gazelles and impalas, although they will also hunt small mammals and birds. They also have distinctive black “tear tracks” that run from the corner of each eye to their mouth and provide anti-glare protection for daytime hunting. The cheetah is also the only cat that cannot retract its claws, providing more traction. Standing at about 30 inches tall at the shoulder and weighing between 110 and 140 pounds, they have long, graceful legs a small, rounded head on a long neck a very flexible spine a deep chest special pads on their feet that help with traction and a long tail that is used for balance at top speed. Maybe it’s their grace and agility or maybe it’s just the face of a cheetah cub, but I think these cats are incredible.Ĭheetahs are the world’s fastest land animal, capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 mph. But, for whatever reason, I cannot help but be captivated by cheetahs. I have to admit, I’m not usually a big fan of cats. She is entering her senior year of high school and has a passion for wildlife conservation.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |