More needs to be done for Cheetah says local photographer

THE world’s fastest land mammal is racing toward extinction. That’s according to scientific studies which suggest the big cats, which are already few in number, may decline by an additional 53 per cent over the next 15 years. The Wildlife Conservation Society, the Zoological Society of London and Panthera led the study, and many other conservation groups participated.

Today there are just 7 100 cheetahs left in the wild, according to the new study. That’s down from an estimated 14 000 cheetahs in 1975. In addition, the cheetah has been driven out of 91 per cent of its historic range.

Local photographer, Skye Meaker, said he had recently heard about the threat to the species while on a trip to Botswana.

“I didn’t realise how bad it was until I heard the news. It is very scary to see what is happening to the numbers. That’s two of our big cats under threat and it’s worrying that we could lose the wild population in a generation or two. There are a number of factors affecting cheetahs, while the species does have a high cub mortality rate, it’s the loss of habitat that is the most crippling aspect of their endangerment.

“As their habitat is taken-up by human expansion, it’s leading to more frequent contact with livestock and farmers. Cheetahs are found in only 23 per cent of their historic African range and are extinct in their Asian range except for a small population in Iran of about 100 individuals.
“We have to change the way we look at how we protect our animals. I will continue to highlight their beauty with my photos, ultimately we have to try to develop programmes so that cheetahs can survive alongside people,” he said.