Cheetah

Racing to extinction: historically ranging throughout Africa to India, now distributed in small, fragmented populations

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Golden yellowish-tan coats with recognizable black dots, built-in anti-glare tear marks, tiny heads, lean bodies, and long legs are characteristics of graceful Cheetahs.

Cheetahs are descended from the same ancestor as Puma and Jaguarundi, denoting that cheetahs were not historically restricted to the Asian and African continents.

The wild cheetahs of North America and Europe were wiped out by an extinction catastrophe near the end of the last ice age, leaving only Asian and African populations.

Data reflects a substantial shrinkage in their historic range. Today, there are just about 7,000 wild African and <50 Asian cheetahs surviving. The imprisonment of key conservationists dims hopes for the population’s recovery of Asiatic cheetahs.

Distribution

Country
Population est.
Status
Year
Comments
Afghanistan
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 1950s
Algeria
37
CR
2020
Angola
2007
Unknown but present
Benin
20
Official estimate
CR
2016
Botswana
1800
Official estimate
VU
2007
Burkina Faso
3
Official estimate
CR
2016
Burundi
Official estimate
EX
Extinct locally
Cameroon
Official estimate
EX
Last sighting 1970s
Central Af. Rep.
2022
Chad
238
Official estimate
VU
2016
Côte D’ivoire
Official estimate
EX
Extinct locally
DR Congo (Kinshasa)
Official estimate
EX
Extinct locally
Djibouti
2022
Possibly Extant
Egypt
2022
Possibly Extinct
Eritrea
2022
Possibly Extinct
Eswatini
Official estimate
EX
Extinct locally
Ethiopia
81
Official estimate
CR
2016
Ghana
Official estimate
EX
Extinct locally
Guinea-Bissau
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 1990s
Guinea
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 1990s
India
Official estimate
EX
Last sighting 1952
Iran
<50
Official estimate
CR
2016
Asiatic cheetah (A. j. venaticus)
Iraq
Official estimate
EX
Last record 1991
Israel
Official estimate
EX
Last seen 1956
Jordan
Official estimate
EX
Last seen 1962
Kazakhstan
Official estimate
EX
Last sighting 1984
Kenya
55
Official estimate
CR
2016
Kuwait
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 1940s
Libya
2022
Possibly Extant
Malawi
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 1996
Mali
2022
No data
Mauritania
Official estimate
EX
Extinct locally
Morocco
2022
Possibly Extinct
Mozambique
<50
Official estimate
CR
2007
Namibia
2,000
Official estimate
VU
2007
Niger
3
Official estimate
CR
2016
Nigeria
Official estimate
EX
Extinct locally
Pakistan
Official estimate
EX
Extinct locally
Rwanda
Official estimate
EX
Extinct locally
Saudi Arabia
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 50 years ago
Senegal
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 1990s
Sierra Leone
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 1990s
Somalia
2022
Possibly Extinct
South Africa
550
Official estimate
VU
2007
South Sudan
2022
Possibly Extinct
Sudan
2022
Possibly Extinct
Syria
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 1979
Tajikistan
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 20th century
Tanzania
311
Official estimate
VU
2016
Togo
2022
Possibly Extinct
Tunisia
Official estimate
EX
Extinct locally
Turkmenistan
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 1950s
Uganda
2022
No data
Uzbekistan
Official estimate
EX
Extinct 1970s
Zambia
100
Official estimate
VU
2007
Zimbabwe
400
Official estimate
2007

Recent updates

March 2023: After decades of being declared extinct in India, the successful release of two cheetahs from Namibia has marked the beginning of a new effort to restore the species. As part of the initiative, twelve cheetahs have been transported to India with the hope of re-establishing their population.

Did you know?

  • More than 100,000 cheetahs were estimated at the beginning of the 20th century in Africa, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia. The African cheetah is now found primarily in small, fragmented populations limited to six African countries: South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Mozambique.
  • Asian cheetah is already almost extinct in Asia, with less than 50 individuals left in one remote area of Iran.
  • 91% of the cheetah’s historical range has been lost to human encroachment; they are wiped out of more than 38 countries.
  • Because of their low population density, cheetahs require conservation areas that are considerably larger, larger than those found in most protected areas.
  • In contrast to other predators, cheetahs are mostly active during the day.
  • Cheetahs can reach 97 km/h (60 mph) in less than three seconds, which is comparable to a car with more than 5000cc engine, such as the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4.
  • The threat of cheetah extinction in the wild is very real. More than 50% of them may vanish subject to current high levels of threat.
  • Cheetahs are listed in Appendix I (no commercial trade), but CITES ignores the fact that trophy hunting is a commercial activity and grants Namibia a yearly quota; it is the only country that allows cheetah trophy hunting.

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Terrestrial / Aquatic

Altricial / Precocial

Polygamous / Monogamous

Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic

Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal

Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd

Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore

Migratory: Yes / No

Domesticated: Yes / No

Dangerous: Yes / No