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Scientists estimate that just 7,100 cheetahs remain in the wild CREDIT: PA

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By Telegraph Reporters
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27 DECEMBER 2016 7:54AM
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U
rgent action is needed to stop the cheetah - the world's fastest
land animal - sprinting to extinction, experts have warned.

Scientists estimate that just 7,100 of the fleet-footed cats remain in the
wild, occupying just 9% of the territory they once lived in.

Asiatic populations have been hit the hardest with fewer than 50
individuals surviving in Iran, according to a new investigation led by the
Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Wildlife Conservation Society
(WCS).

In Zimbabwe, cheetah numbers have plummeted by 85% in little more

than a decade.

The cheetah's dramatic decline has now prompted calls for the animal's
status to be upgraded from "vulnerable" to "endangered" on the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of
threatened species.

In Zimbabwe, cheetah numbers have plummeted by 85% in little more than a decade
CREDIT: AP

Dr Sarah Durant, from ZSL and WCS, project leader for the Rangewide
Conservation Programme for Cheetah and African Wild Dog, said: "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. Our findings show that the large space requirements for
cheetah, 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."

The cheetah is one of the world's most wide-ranging carnivores and needs
a lot of space. Partly because of this, 77% of its remaining habitat falls
outside protected areas, leaving the animal especially vulnerable to
human impacts.

Adorable cheetah sextuplets step outside

for the first time
00:47

Even within well-managed parks and reserves the cats have suffered as a
result of humans hunting their prey, habitat loss, illegal trafficking of
cheetah parts, and the exotic pet trade, say the researchers writing in the
journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In Zimbabwe these pressures have seen the cheetah population plunge

from 1,200 to a maximum of only 170 animals in 16 years, a decline of 85
per cent.

The experts want to see a completely new approach to cheetah

conservation focusing on the landscape that transcends national borders
and incorporates co-ordinated regional strategies.

Top 10 | The most endangered animals

1 Amur Leopard
2 Black Rhino
3 Cross River Gorilla
4 Hawksbill Turtle
5 Javan Rhino
6 Leatherback Turtle
7 Mountain Gorilla
8 Pangolin
9 Saola
10 South China Tiger
Source: World Wildlife Fund

It would involve motivating both governments and local communities to

protect the cheetah and promoting the sustainable co-existence of
humans and wildlife.

Dr Kim Young-Overton, from the wild cat conservation organisation

Panthera, said: "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. We must think bigger, conserving across the mosaic
of protected and unprotected landscapes that these far-reaching cats
inhabit, If we are to avert the otherwise certain loss of the cheetah
forever."

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