Status

Protected species in Namibia - considered vulnerable. Endangered under the

United States Endangered Species Act. List on CITES Appendix I. First listed on 1
July 1975.
The cheetah has a slender, long-legged body with blunt semi-retractile claws. Its
Description
coat is tan with small, round, black spots, and the fur is coarse and short. The
cheetah has a small head with high-set eyes. Black "tear marks," which run from
the inside corner of its eyes down the sides of the nose to the outside of its
mouth, keep the sun out of its eyes, and aid in hunting.
Adult body length 105-152 cm; tail length 51-87 cm; shoulder height 62-86 cm;
Size
weight 31-64kg. The male is slightly larger than the female.
Specializations The cheetah's flexible spine, oversized liver, enlarged heart, wide nostrils,
increased lung capacity, and thin muscular body make this cat the swiftest hunter
in Africa. Covering 7-8 meters in a stride, with only one foot touching the ground
at a time, the cheetah can reach a speed of 110 km/h in seconds. At two points in
the stride, no feet touch the ground.
Cheetahs thrive in areas with vast expanses of land where prey is abundant. In
Habitat
Namibia cheetahs have been found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands,
savannahs, dense vegetation, and mountainous terrain. Ninety-five percent of the
Namibian population lives on commercial farms.
Once found throughout Asia and Africa, the species is now only scattered in Iran
Range
and various countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Home ranges for males in Namibia
are 2,234 square km and 3,809 square km on average for females.
Cheetahs have a unique, well-structured social order. Females live alone except
Behavior
when they are raising cubs. The females raise the cubs on their own. The first 18
months of a cub's life are important - cubs learn many lessons because survival
depends on knowing how to hunt wild prey species and avoid other predators
such as leopards, lions, hyenas, and baboons. At 18 months, the mother leaves
the cubs, who then form a sibling group, that will stay together for another 6
months. At about 2 years, the female siblings leave the group, and the young
males remain together for life. Males live alone or in coalitions made up of
brothers from the same litter. Some coalitions maintain territories in order to find
females with which they will mate. Territories are often located in areas where
there is a rich supply of wild game and/or water. Fierce fights between male
coalitions, resulting in serious injury or death, can occur when defending
territories.
Cheetahs hunt in the late morning and early evening. They capture their prey by
stalking - until they prey is within 10-30 meters - before chasing. The prey is
suffocated when a cheetahs bites the underside of the throat. Chases last about
20 seconds, and rarely longer then 1 minute. About half of the chases are
successful. In Namibia, cheetahs use playtrees (trees with sloping trunks and
large horizontal limbs, usually camelthorns) to observe their surroundings and
mark the area. Cheetahs make chirping sounds, and hiss or spit when angered or
threatened. They purr very loudly when content.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity occurs at 20-23 months. The gestation period is about 95 days,
and the average litter size is 4-5 cubs. Cubs are smoky-grey in color with long
hair, called a mantle, running along their backs; they are up to 30 cm long and
weigh 250-300 grams at birth. The mantle has several purposes: it is thought to
camouflage the cub in dead grass, hiding it from predators, and to work as a
mimicry defense, causing the cub to resemble a honey badger (ratel).
About 12,000-15,000 cheetahs are estimated to remain in 24 to 26 African
Population
countries and less than 100 animals in Iran. Namibia has the world's largest
number of free-ranging cheetahs with about 3,000 animals.
Life Expectancy Studies have not been conducted in the wild on longevity; 8-12 years is average
in captivity. Cub mortality is high for the species in both the wild and captivity. An
average 30 percent of all cubs born in captivity die within one month of birth, and
in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, about 90 percent die before reaching the 3
months of age.
Small antelope, young of large antelope, warthog, springhare, and game birds.
Diet
Natural History Cheetahs have been kept in captivity for some 5,000 years. However, they breed
poorly, and the captive population has been maintained through wild collection.
Cheetahs suffer from a lack of genetic diversity making them more susceptible to
disease and decreasing reproduction. The many parks and reserves of Africa offer
protection for only a small amount of cheetahs. In these parks, lion and hyena
numbers increase, and the cheetahs cannot compete with these large predators
which kill cheetah cubs and steal their prey. Evolution has favored speed, and not
strength for this species.
Survival
Decline in prey, loss of habitat, and indiscriminate trapping and shooting as a
livestock predator threaten the survival of the cheetah throughout its range.
Threats
The cheetah is a protected species in Namibia, but people are allowed to remove
Legal

Introduction to the Cheetah

Many people fear predators, especially big cats such as the lion, cheetah, and leopard. We are often
taught to fear carnivores without understanding their unique behaviors, special adaptations, and
essential roles in the maintenance of healthy ecosystems.

Our attitudes and misconceptions about these species have led to their endangerment because many
people deal with their fear by eliminating predators. Endangered species exist in low-population
numbers and need intensive long-term management in order to survive. Attitudes toward predators
must be changed if we hope to save endangered species such as the cheetah. By learning the reasons
why species are endangered, we can all learn how healthy ecosystems are crucial and what will occur
if we continue to pollute the environment and destroy habitats. Through environmental education, we
can all work together to change the attitudes and behaviors that have led to the endangerment of
predator species and help save them from extinction. Individuals can make a difference!
To appreciate predators, we must first understand their roles in wildlife communities. Because
predators must kill other animals in order to survive, many myths about them have evolved over the
centuries in many cultures. The plight of cheetahs symbolizes the problems that many predators face
throughout the world. Cheetahs are endangered because of:
Loss of habitat and prey to commercial/free-hold farming and development
Prosecution by farmers as vermin or livestock-killing conflict animals
Poaching or the illegal taking of an animal

If we are to conserve healthy wildlife populations in the 21st century, we must understand the ways of
animals and recognize their importance to our survival. Wild species maintain healthy ecosystems,
provide us with food, shelter, and clothing, benefit us economically and improve the qualities of our
lives by their existence.
Humans are also predators and carnivores. We compete with wild animals for natural resources.
Because of growing human populations and over-consumption of the earth's resources, the world is
losing wild places and species as the demand for food, minerals, lumber, and other resources increase.
Two hundred years ago there were fewer than one billion people living on the planet. Today, over six
billion people live on the planet.
Extinction is a natural process. For hundreds of millions of years, plants and animals have become
extinct. But the current rate of extinction is something new and radical. The total number of species
lost each year may now be as high as 40,000. This rate of extinction is far greater today that at any
other time in the past 65 million years. The five most common causes of extinction created through
human involvement are:

Destruction of habitat for development and to obtain lumber, minerals, oil, and other products
Introduction of exotic species into new habitats
Pollution
Overuse of animals and plants through collecting, hunting, or poaching
Use of animals and plant products for religious beliefs

The cheetahs' survival depends on people and our ability to manage

the wild population and protect its habitat.
When people destroy habitat by constructing buildings or over-grazing livestock, for example, they
prevent nearly all animal populations from surviving there, both in the present, as well as the future.
Animals compete poorly with humans for space. Humans normally change the environment very
rapidly; animals cannot always adjust to these changes or adapt quickly enough. Large predators like
the cheetah need large areas in which to roam; they usually are not found close together or in great
numbers. Loss of habitat and a limited geographical range (a small area in which to live) threaten the
cheetah's survival.
Low survivorship (few cheetahs live long or do not become adults) also affects cheetahs and makes
them more vulnerable to human competition. High cub mortality, up to 90% in the wild, along with
high adult mortality by indiscriminate killing by farmers, makes it difficult for the cheetah to recover
when its population size decreases.
Helping predator species survive in spite of competition from people is one aspect of wildlife
conservation. Loss of habitat and prey base, competition with large predators and agricultural
interests, and poaching are taking a heavy toll on wild cheetah populations throughout Africa.
Today, there are approximately 10,000 of these endangered cats remaining in Africa and Asia. The
vast majority of cheetahs live in small, isolated groups outside protected game reserves where they
are often in conflict with humans and livestock, and most populations continue to decline. The largest
wild population of cheetahs is found in Namibia. In the 1980s their numbers were reduced by half to
less than 2500. Lack of genetic variation, reproduction abnormalities, high infant mortality, and a
great susceptibility to disease place the species at a further risk of extinction. Genetic variation allows
species to adapt better to environmental and ecological changes and to fight off diseases.
While cheetahs were once found all over Africa, they are now endangered in most of their former
ranges. Cheetahs do not pose a threat to human life. People continue to kill cheetahs because they
believe cheetahs kill livestock as well as other domestic animals, causing excessive economic loss. In
reality, the amount of damage to domestic stock is exaggerated and is usually caused by a limited

number of livestock-preying cats, or "conflict" animals, and inadequate livestock practices. Despite
these problems, cheetahs do have a chance for survival on the vast farmlands of southern Africa.
Humans share this earth with up to 33 million animals, plants and other life forms. The diversity of life
on our planet is amazing. All species - plants, mammals, insects, and invertebrates - depend on one
another. People depend on many different plants and animals for food and medicines. Cheetahs are
only one of 33 million species living on the planet. Does it really matter if the cheetah becomes
extinct? It is tempting to think that the loss of only one species will not affect us. But we must
remember that all things are connected and explore how important cheetahs are in their ecosystem.
When we lose even one species, our world becomes a poorer place to live. The cheetah deserves a
place on this earth. The cat has been revered by humans for almost 5,000 years. If it is lost to future
generations, it would leave a large hole not only in nature, but also in the very psyche of the human
mind, which so naturally feels and knows the uniqueness of this creature. Namibia, with its varied
ecosystems and diversity of life, presents the greatest hope for the cheetah's future.
Education is Key
Youth education and understanding are paramount to helping the sleek hunter of Africa win its race for
survival. The ultimate success of the Cheetah Conservation Fund's education program depends on us
all, but especially those of you who are teachers and students. By supporting our work you become
part of an international effort to save this endangered species. Together we can work to conserve our
world's rich biological diversity. By participating in environmental education, you become someone
who cares for our land, its wildlife, and the future your students will inherit. We offer a CCF Teachers'
Resource Guide and Student Activity Guides available for download from our Education page. These
contain sections on life sciences, social studies, English, math, physical education and the arts. We
hope they will help you motivate students to think critically about individual and communal efforts to
conserve wildlife, and to act constructively to improve our world's environment.
Note regarding Namibia's Cheetah Population Changes 1980's-1990's: In Namibia, there was a drastic
decline of the cheetah population in the 1980's where the population was halved in a 10 year period,
leaving an estimated population of less than 2,500 animals at the beginning of the 1990's when CCF
began its work with the farming community. Since that time, a gradual change has occurred within
Namibia and over the last couple of years the population has stabilized. CCF's research has shown that
farmers have more tolerance for cheetahs and are killing less, and those that are being killed are
linked to livestock losses, or that they are calling CCF to help them.

The Problem
The world's fastest land animal,
the sleek and long-legged
cheetah, Acinonyx Jubatus, is
losing its race for survival. Once a
common animal found on five
continents, the cheetah is now an
Endangered Species.
Loss of habitat, conflict with
humans, as well as its own loss of
genetic variation, are the main
threats facing the cheetah today.

The cheetah needs large expanses of land to survive, but with

changes in land use and habitat pressures, such as bush
encroachment, this area is becoming smaller and smaller.
Unfortunately, captive breeding efforts have not proven meaningful
to the cheetah's hopes of survival.
Cheetahs can reach speeds of over 70 mph, but are extremely
clumsy fighters. The result is that although the cheetahs are the best
hunters in Africa, they lose much of their prey to the more
aggressive predators, such as lions and hyenas, who chase them
away and steal their food.
The largest population of cheetahs is in Namibia, a country that is
now growing more independent and democratic. With the country's
expansion, there was a drastic decline of the cheetah population in
the 1980s, when the population was halved in a 10-year period,
leaving an estimated population of less than 2,500 animals. At the
beginning of the 1990s, when CCF began its work with the farming
community, a gradual change has occurred within Namibia, and over
the last couple of years the population has stabilized. CCF's research
has shown that most recently farmers have more tolerance for
cheetahs and are killing less, and those that are being killed are
linked to livestock losses. More frequently farmers are calling CCF to
help them.
Only the "human animal" can save the cheetah from extinction. And
that is why the Cheetah Conservation Fund now works in Africa.

Genetic diversity
The cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, is
the sole member of its genus.
Twenty thousand years ago,
cheetahs roamed throughout the
savannahs and plains of four
continents: Africa, Asia, Europe,
and North America.

About 10,000 years ago - because of climate changes - all but one
species of the cheetah, jubatus, became extinct. With the drastic
reduction in their numbers, close relatives were forced to breed, and
the cheetah became genetically inbred, meaning all cheetahs are
closely related.
Inbreeding occurs when members of the same family or close
relatives breed only among themselves. For example, when you look
around, you see different hair colors, eye colors, and heights. If you
took blood from everybody in the room, and looked at the proteins in
the blood, you would see proteins also vary between each person,
just like hair color. When you look at the proteins in the blood of
cheetahs, they are very similar; it looks as if they are identical twins

of one another, meaning they are closely related.

The study of biological inheritance is called "genetic research."
Genes, which are composed of DNA, store the information that an
individual inherits from his or her parents. Genes in one animal vary
from the same genes in another animal of the same species. By
looking at the amount of variation existing in genes, scientists, called
"geneticists" can begin to understand the relationships of animals
within population, and how infectious diseases may affect that
population. Also, by comparing the amount of variation between
different species, geneticists can help us understand the process of
evolution.
When geneticists looked at the amount of variation within the genes
of the cheetah, they found that cheetahs exhibit much lower levels of
variation than other mammals. In most species, related individuals
share about 80 percent of the same genes. With cheetahs, this figure
rises to approximately 99 percent. The genetic inbreeding in
cheetahs has led to low survivorship (a large number of animals
dying), poor sperm quality, and greater susceptibility to disease.
Inbred animals suffer from a lack of genetic diversity. This means
cheetahs lack the ability to adjust to sudden changes in the
environment, such as disease epidemics, and have unusually high
susceptibility to certain viruses. For example, if a virus gets into a
healthy population of leopards, not every animal dies; just some do,
because leopards are genetically diverse. But if every animal is
genetically the same, like the cheetah, and one gets infected, all of
them may become infected and die off. Because of their lack of
genetic diversity, a deadly virus could wipe out all of the worlds' wild
cheetahs instead of just the susceptible animals. It depends on a
species' genetic differences.
Evolution eliminates traits in organisms that are least suited for
survival. Some of the decline in the cheetah's genetic diversity is
accounted for by its specialization through natural selection. The
decrease in genetic diversity resulting from natural selection has
benefited the species' survival as it has made the cheetah better
adapted to its environment. However, the effects of this occurrence
are small when compared to the effects of the inbreeding that
occurred 10,000 years ago from a population bottleneck.
To increase genetic diversity in captivity, zoos take great care to
make sure that only unrelated animals mate. Scientists are working
on ways to enhance breeding through artificial insemination, and in
vitro fertilization (IVF). Because of genetic inbreeding, male cheetahs
have poor sperm quality. Abnormal sperm cannot swim properly,
reducing the chance of fertilizing eggs and producing offspring.
Artificial insemination (A-I) is a laboratory technique wherein
scientists place sperm in the reproductive tract of a female. This
means the sperm have less distance to swim before reaching the
eggs. Mating between male and female animals does not take place.
Artificial insemination has produced cheetah cubs in the United
States. Using these technologies, A-I and IVF, semen, and eggs can
be collected from wild Namibian Cheetahs for use in captive breeding
programs. Because Namibia has the largest population of cheetahs,
the genes represented in this population are important to captive

cheetah survival worldwide.

Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Acinonyx
Species: Jubatus
DESCRIPTION:
Height: 30+ inches at shoulder
Weight: 69-140 lbs.
Body length: 4 feet
Tail length: 28.5 inches
The world's fastest land mammal, the cheetah, is the most unique
and specialized member of the cat family and can reach speeds of 70
mph. Unlike other cats, the cheetah has a leaner body, longer legs,
and has been referred to as the "greyhound" of the cats. It is not an
aggressive animal, using flight versus fight. With its weak jaws and
small teeth--the price it paid for speed, it cannot fight larger
predators to protect its kills or young.
The cheetah is often mistaken for a leopard. Its distinguishing marks
are the long teardrop-shaped lines on each side of the nose from the
corner of its eyes to its mouth. The cheetah's coat is tan, or buff
colored, with black spots measuring from 78 to 1.85 inches across.
There are no spots on its white belly, and the tail has spots that
merge to form four to six dark rings at the end. The tail usually ends
in a bushy white tuft. Male cheetahs are slightly larger than females
and have a slightly bigger head, but it is difficult to tell males and
females apart by appearance alone.
The fur of newborn cubs is dark and the spots are blended together and barely visible. During the first
few weeks of life, a thick yellowish-gray coat, called a mantle, grows along the cub's back. The dark
color helps the cub to blend into the shadows, and the mantle is thought to have several purposes,
including acting as a thermostatic umbrella against rain and the sun, and as a camouflage imitating
the dry dead grass. The mantle is also thought to be a mimicry defense, causing the cub to resemble a
ratel, or honey badger, which is a very vicious small predator that is left alone by most other
predators. The mantle begins to disappear at about three months old, but the last traces of it, in the
form of a small mane, are still present at over two years of age.
The cheetah is aerodynamically built for speed and can accelerate from zero to 40 mph in three strides
and to full speed of 70 mph in seconds. As the cheetah runs, only one foot at a time touches the
ground. There are two points, in its 20 to 25 foot (7-8 metres) stride when no feet touch the ground,
as they are fully extended and then totally doubled up. Nearing full speed, the cheetah is running at
about 3 strides per second. The cheetah's respiratory rate climbs from 60 to 150 breaths per minute
during a high-speed chase and can run only 400 to 600 yards before it is exhausted; at this time it is
extremely vulnerable to other predators, which may not only steal its prey, but attack it as well.
The cheetah is specialized for speed through many adaptations: It is endowed with a powerful heart,

oversized liver, and large, strong arteries. It has a small head, flat face, reduced muzzle length
allowing the large eyes to be positioned for maximum binocular vision, enlarged nostrils, and
extensive air-filled sinuses. Its body is narrow, lightweight with long, slender feet and legs, and
specialized muscles, which act simultaneously for high acceleration, allowing greater swing to the
limbs. Its hip and shoulder girdles swivel on a flexible spine that curves up and down, as the limbs are
alternately bunched up and then extended when running, giving greater reach to the legs. The
cheetah's long and muscular tail acts as a stabilizer or rudder for balance to counteract its body
weight, preventing it from rolling over and spinning out in quick, fast turns during a high-speed chase.
The cheetah is the only cat with short, blunt semi-retractable claws that help grip the ground like
cleats for traction when running. Their paws are less rounded than the other cats, and their pads are
hard, similar to tire treads, to help them in fast, sharp turns.
Distribution
It has been estimated that in 1900, more than 100,000 cheetahs were found in at least 44 countries
throughout Africa and Asia. Today the species is extinct from +20 countries and between 12,000 to
15,000 animals remain, found mostly in small-pocketed populations in 24 to 26 countries in Africa and
-100 in Iran. The cheetah is classified as an endangered species, and listed in Appendix I (which
includes species that are most threatened) of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES).
Prior to the 20th century, cheetahs were widely distributed throughout Africa and Asia, and were
originally found in all suitable habitats from the Cape of Good Hope to the Mediterranean, throughout
the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, from Israel to India, and through the southern provinces of
the former Soviet Union. Today, the Asian cheetah is nearly extinct, due to a decline of available
habitat and prey. The species was declared extinct in India in 1952, and the last reported cheetah was
seen in Israel in 1956. Today, the only confirmed reports of the Asian cheetah comes from Iran,
where less than 100 occur in small isolated populations.
Free-ranging cheetahs still inhabit a broad section of Africa, including areas of North Africa, the Sahel,
East Africa, and southern Africa. Viable populations may be found in less than half of the countries
where cheetahs still exist. These declining populations mean that those cheetah which do survive,
come from a smaller, less diverse gene pool. Populations continue to decline from loss of habitat,
decline of prey species, and conflict with livestock farming. Throughout Africa, cheetahs are not doing
well in protected wildlife reserves due to increased competition from other larger predators, such as
lion and hyenas, and most protected areas are unable to maintain viable cheetah populations.
Therefore, a large percentage of the remaining cheetah populations are outside of protected reserves,
placing them in greater conflict with humans. There are now only two remaining population
strongholds: Namibia/Botswana in southern Africa, and Kenya/Tanzania in East Africa. The cheetah's
greatest hope for survival lies in the relatively pristine countryside of Namibia, which is home to the
world's largest remaining population of cheetah. However, even in Namibia, the cheetah's numbers
drastically declined by half in the 80s, leaving an estimated population of less than 2,500 animals. At
the beginning of the 1990s, when CCF began its work with the farming community, a gradual change
has occurred within Namibia, and over the last couple of years the population has stabilized. CCF's
research has shown that farmers have more tolerance for cheetahs and are killing less, and those that
are being killed are linked to livestock losses, or that they are calling CCF to help them.
Habits
The cheetah is generally considered to be an animal of open country and grass lands. This impression
is probably due to the ease of sighting the cheetah in the shorter grass. However, cheetahs use a
wider variety of habitats, and are found often in dense vegetation and even mountainous terrain.
Since cheetahs rely on sight for hunting, they are diurnal: more active in the day than night. In warm
weather, they move around mostly during the early morning and late in the afternoon when the

temperatures are cooler.

Cheetahs prey on a variety of species from rabbits to small antelope, and the young of larger
antelope. Their hunting technique is to stalk as close as possible to the prey, burst into full speed,
tripping the prey with a front paw and, as the prey falls, biting it by the throat in a strangulation hold.
Cheetahs are more social in their behaviors than once thought. They will live singly or in small groups.
Female cheetahs are sexually mature at 20 to 24 months. The mating period lasts from one day up to
a week. The female's gestation period is 90 to 95 days, after which she will give birth to a litter of up
to 6 cubs. She will find a quiet, hidden spot in the tall grass, under a low tree, in thick underbrush, or
in a clump of rock. Cheetah cubs weigh between 9 to 15 ounces when born.
Although cheetah cubs are blind and completely helpless at birth, they develop rapidly. At 4 to 10 days
of age, their eyes open, and they begin to crawl around the nest area; at 3 weeks their teeth break
through their gums. Due to the possibilities of predation from a variety of predators, the female moves
her cubs from den to den every few days. For the first 6 weeks, the female has to leave the cubs alone
most of the time, in order to hunt. Also, she may have to travel fairly long distances in search of food.
During this time, cub mortality is as high as 90 percent in the wild, due to predation. The cubs begin
to follow their mother at 6 weeks old, and begin to eat meat from her kills. From this time onward,
mother and cubs remain inseparable until weaning age.
The cubs grow rapidly and are half of their adult size at 6 months old; at 8 months old, they have lost
the last of their deciduous teeth. About this time, the cubs begin to make clumsy attempts at stalking
and catching. Much of the learning process takes the form of play behavior. The cubs stalk, chase and
wrestle with each other and even chase prey that they know they cannot catch, or prey that is too
large. The cubs learn to hunt many different species, including guinea fowl, francolins, springhares,
and small antelope. They still are not very adept hunters at the time they separate from their
mothers.
The female leaves her cubs when they are between 16 to 18 months old to rebreed, starting the cycle
over again. The cubs stay together for several more months, usually until the female cubs reach
sexual maturity. At this time, the male cubs are chased away by dominant breeding males. Male cubs
stay together for the rest of their lives, forming a coalition. Male coalition is beneficial in helping to
acquire and hold territories against rival male cheetahs. Males become reproductively active between
2 and 3 years of age.
Cheetahs & Humans
The cheetah's long association with humans dates back to the Sumerians, about 3,000 BC, where a
leashed cheetah, with a hood on its head, is depicted on an official seal. In early Lower Egypt, it was
known as the MAFDET cat-goddess and was revered as a symbol of royalty. Tame cheetahs were kept
as close companions to pharaohs, as a symbolic protection to the throne. Many statues and paintings
of cheetahs have been found in royal tombs, and it was believed that the cheetah would quickly carry
away the pharaoh's spirit to the after life. By the 18th and 19th centuries, paintings indicated that the
cheetah rivaled dogs in popularity as hunting companions.
The best records of cheetahs having been kept by royalty, from Europe to China, are from the 14th,
15th and 16th centuries. Hunting with cheetahs was not to obtain food, which royalty did not need,
but for the challenge of sport. This sport is known as coursing. Adult wild cheetahs were caught, as
they already had well developed hunting skills and were tamed and trained within a few weeks. The
cheetahs were equipped with a hood, so they could not see the game they were to hunt, and were
taken near the prey either on a leash, a cart, or the back of a horse, sitting on a pillow behind the
rider. The hood was then removed and the cheetah dashed after the prey, catching it, after which the
trainer would reward it with a piece of meat, and then take the cheetah back to the stable where it

was kept.
Many emperors kept hundreds of cheetahs, at any given time, in their stables. With this great number
of cheetahs in captivity, it was recorded only once, by Emperor Jahangir, the son Akbar the Great, an
Indian Mogul in the 16th century, that a litter of cubs was born. During his 49-year reign, Akbar the
Great had over 9,000 cheetahs, in total, which were called Khasa or the "Imperial Cheetahs," and he
kept detailed records on them.
All of the cheetahs kept as "hunting leopards" were taken from the wild. Because of this continuous
drain on the world populations, the numbers of cheetahs declined throughout Asia. In the early
1900's, India and Iran began to import cheetahs from Africa for hunting purposes.
Other Survival Challenges
Molecular genetic studies on free-ranging and captive cheetahs have shown that the species lacks
genetic variation, probably due to past inbreeding, as long as ten thousand years ago. The
consequences of such genetic uniformity have led to reproductive abnormalities, high infant mortality,
and greater susceptibility to disease, causing the species to be less adaptable and more vulnerable to
ecological and environmental changes.
Unfortunately, captive breeding efforts have not proven to be meaningful to the cheetah's hope for
survival. The similar experiences of the world's zoos have reaffirmed the traditional difficulties of
breeding cheetahs in captivity. Despite the capturing, rearing, and public display of cheetahs for
thousands of years, the next reproductive success, after Akbar the Great son's recorded birth of one
litter in the 16th century, occurred only in 1956 at the Philadelphia Zoo. Unlike the other 'big cats',
which breed readily in captivity, the captive population of cheetahs is not self-sustaining and, thus, is
maintained through the import of wild-caught animals, a practice which goes against the goals of
today's' zoological institutions. Although reproduction has occurred at many facilities in the world, only
a very small percentage of cheetahs have ever reproduced and cub mortality is high. In the absence of
further importations of wild-caught animals, the size of the captive population can be expected to
decline, a trend, which coupled with the continuing decline of the wild population, leaves the species
extremely vulnerable.
Conservation Efforts
We founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in 1990 to directly confront the above issues and to
implement techniques for cheetah conservation in their natural habitat. The CCF is the only fully
established, on-site, international conservation effort for the wild cheetah. A permanent base for this
long-term effort was established in 1991 in Namibia, Africa-- home to the largest remaining, viable,
population of cheetah. CCF's primary mission is to focus on conservatory and management strategies
outside of protected parks and reserves. It conducts research, disseminates information, and
implements conservation management techniques that will lead to the long-term survival of freeranging cheetah. The project is directed by Laurie Marker.
The over-all objective of CCF is to secure the survival of free-ranging cheetahs in suitable African
habitats. The CCF's long-term program focuses on: 1) cheetah research and conservation education;
and 2) livestock and wildlife management, education, and training. In Namibia, programs are being
developed that can be adapted for use in other African countries. The goal is to develop workable
strategies for promoting sustainable cheetah populations, a goal which, in the end, is largely
dependant on the willingness and the capacity of individuals and local communities where the
cheetahs live.
As a part of the long-term program, conservation efforts are being developed through the knowledge
gained from the collection of base-line data including:

a) the distribution and movements of cheetahs through the Namibian farmlands; b) the problems
leading to the continued elimination of the cheetah; c) the assessment of the over-all health of the
free-ranging cheetah population; d) the development of livestock farm management practices to
reduce conflict with cheetahs; e) the development of livestock/wildlife management and education to
sustain a balanced ecosystem that supports wildlife, and cheetah; and f) the adaptation of successful
programs to other countries where cheetah are in need.
The knowledge gained from this program will reveal the necessary information to employ strategies for
the long-term survival of the species in Namibia, and will be significant to the conservation of cheetahs
elsewhere in the their native range and contribute to maintenance of captive cheetahs, which are 99%
from Namibian stock.
Extinction is forever and survival is up to you and me---every last one of us! The Cheetah
Conservation Fund is the conduit through which everyone can become involved.

Race for survival

Cheetahs have existed on earth for
at least three-and-a-half to four
million years - long before any of
the other big cats that are alive
today. About 20,000 years ago,
cheetahs were common
throughout Africa, Asia, Europe,
and North America. Through the
dating of fossil remains, it appears
that the cheetah originated in the
United States of America in the
present-day states of Nevada,
Texas, and Wyoming.

Approximately 10,000 years ago, at the end of a time called the

Pleistocene Epoch also known as the Great Ice Age (a geographical
time period from approximately 2 million to 10,000 years ago), the
world's environment underwent drastic changes in climate. Over a
few thousand years, 75 percent of the mammal species in North
America, and Europe died.
When mammals began to die, so did all the cheetahs in North
America and Europe and most of those in Asia and Africa. Cheetahs
may have migrated to more suitable environment as ice covered a
large part of the northern hemisphere and sea levels fell.
The cheetah survived the mass extinction of the Pleistocene Epoch, but its numbers were greatly
reduced. Brothers were left to reproduce with sisters and parents with siblings, which led to the
founding of the next generation, and inbreeding took place. This occurrence - a severe reduction in
population - is called a "bottleneck." Every cheetah alive today appears to be so inbred that genetically
they are as closely related as twins (two offspring, or individuals born at the same birth).

Cheetahs have been kept in captivity since 3,000 BC when Sumerians, people who lived in presentday Iraq, began taming cheetahs for pets. In Egypt, during the time of the pharaohs, the cheetah was
considered a goddess named "Mafdet." Pharaohs kept cheetahs as close companions, which
symbolized protection by Mafdet. Symbols of the cheetah are found on ritual and magic knives,
statues, and in paintings on royal tombs. The ancient Egyptians believed that the cheetah would carry
the Pharaoh's soul to the afterworld. The cheetah was admired for its speed, hunting ability, and
beauty, and was honored as a symbol of royalty and prestige.
As early as the fifth century, cheetahs were used by Italian nobles to hunt for sport. Adult cheetahs
were caught in the wild, and tamed within a few months of capture. With their heads covered by a
hood so they could not see the prey, cheetahs were led to the hunting area on a leash, in a cart, or on
the back of a horse, sitting on a pillow behind the rider. The cheetah was taken near the prey, and the
hood was removed. It then sprinted after the prey, and after catching it, the trainer rewarded the
cheetah with a piece of meat. Cheetahs were commonly known as "hunting leopards," as people often
confused the cheetah and the leopard, considering them the same species. The use of this term may
account for some of the confusion between the differences in the two cats - the cheetah and the
leopard are two distinct species.
Russian princes in the 11th and 12th centuries also hunted with cheetahs. During the Renaissance
(the time period from the 14th through the 16th centuries), every Italian family of nobility and many
French nobles kept cheetahs for hunting. The crusaders observed cheetahs being used to hunt
gazelles in Syria and Palestine during this time. Marco Polo, the famous Italian explorer, brought back
accounts of the hundreds of cheetahs kept by Kublai Khan, the Founder of the Mongol dynasty in
China, during the 13th century. Akbar, a Mughal ruler of the 16th century (India), was said to have
owned 9,000 cheetahs during his 49-year reign. He kept detailed records of his collection, which
showed the birth of only one litter. Unfortunately, cheetahs do not reproduce well in captivity, and cubs
suffer high mortality - none of Akbar's cubs lived. It was not until 1956, that the first cheetahs were
born and raised in captivity. Because of the continuous wild capture of the Asian species of cheetahs
for royalty and their failure to breed in captivity, the Asiatic cheetahs were sharply reduced, and
cheetahs had to be exported from Africa to supply hunting cheetahs at Court. In India, the cheetah
was considered a prerequisite for royalty - in 1952 it was declared extinct. The Asian cheetah, which
was distributed widely throughout the continent in eleven countries, is now nearly extinct. Today only
200 cheetahs are found in Asia, in the country of Iran.
The number of cheetahs has decreased from 100,000 at end of the 19th century to approximately
10,000 today. The cheetah has suffered from inbreeding, high infant morality, loss of habitat, a
reduction in its prey base, conflicts with livestock farming, and a reduced ability to survive in parks
and reserves due to the presence of larger predators. Yet, despite all these problems, the cheetah is
the oldest of the big cats, and has survived the longest. If we can provide a habitat and a rich preybase for cheetahs on the livestock farmlands of southern Africa, the cheetah's race will be one of
survival, not extinction.