Urgent action called for as cheetah numbers plummet worldwide

Scientists are calling for cheetahs to be classed as “endangered” after a new study found just 7,100 of the cats remain on Earth.

The relatively secretive wild cats have been driven from 91% of their historic habitat, largely due to 77% of that habitat existing outside of protected areas, according to the Zoological Society of London, Panthera and Wildlife Conservation Society research.

The world’s fastest land animal is currently classed as “vulnerable”, but scientists are hoping that with an upgrade to endangered status the cheetah will receive greater conservation support and be prioritised in the fight against extinction.

“This study represents the most comprehensive analysis of cheetah status to date. Given the secretive nature of this elusive cat, it has been difficult to gather hard information on the species, leading to its plight being overlooked,” lead author Dr Sarah Durant said.

“Our findings show that the large space requirements for cheetahs, coupled with the complex range of threats faced by the species in the wild, mean that it is likely to be much more vulnerable to extinction than was previously thought.”

Cheetahs, even within reserves, “rarely escape” threats to their existence such as prey loss due to over-hunting by humans, habitat loss and illegal trafficking of parts and live animals.

Zimbabwe has lost 85% of its cheetahs since 2000, according to the study, with the big cat’s numbers dropping from 1,200 to a maximum of 170 over the past 16 years – while just 50 Asiatic cheetahs are left, in a pocket of Iran.

“We’ve just hit the reset button in our understanding of how close cheetahs are to extinction. The take-away from this pinnacle study is that securing protected areas alone is not enough,” Panthera’s cheetah programme director, Dr Kim Young-Overton, said.

“We must think bigger, conserving across the mosaic of protected and unprotected landscapes that these far-ranging cats inhabit, if we are to avert the otherwise certain loss of the cheetah forever.”