How many cheetahs are left in the world 2018

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Curious cheetah joins safari group in Tanzania. Related Topics. Asia India. Published 24 January Published 7 October The illegal pet trade is decimating cheetah populations that are already small and nearly unsustainable [ 9 , 52 ]. Five out of six cubs poached die before being sold into the pet trade.

Cheetah cubs that survive long enough to be sold most likely will not make it beyond 2 years of age. All will become sick, disabled and die prematurely. Improper diet, environment and lack of veterinary care result in a myriad of debilitating health problems [ 52 ]. Another human issue impacting the cheetah is tourism.

Everyone who visits Africa on safari wants to see a cheetah. While tourism helps bring international attention to the cheetah and instills economic value in species survival, crowds of multiple vehicles surrounding cheetahs can have a negative impact [ 20 , 58 , 59 ]. Cheetahs hunt in the early morning and late afternoon when most game drives take place. Vehicles sometimes move between the cheetah and its prey so tourists can get a better view.

Predators are exceptionally aware of tourists and their vehicles and sometimes use them to their advantage. If a cheetah has made a kill it will most certainly lose it if vehicles are present, since other predators, particularly the hyena, lion or jackal are alerted by the tourists. If the cheetah has cubs, this is a very dangerous situation for them, as they are made more vulnerable by the interference of the vehicles.

The busiest time for the tourist vehicles was found to be between and pm coinciding with the high times for hunting by cheetahs [ 20 ]. In the Maasai Mara, a high incidence in sarcoptic mange in cheetahs has been linked to stress caused by tourism vehicles. Chronic stress induces immuno-suppression, which in cheetahs has been found to contribute to a high occurrence of uncommon diseases, like mange, gastritis and amyloidosis [ 56 , 57 , 58 , 61 ]. Solving cheetah conservation crisis involves addressing a complex web of social, environmental and economic issues.

Over the past several years, conservation professionals have come together to look closely at the crisis for the cheetah and devise strategies for cheetah survival [ 9 , 24 ]. Efforts to educate communities living alongside cheetah through awareness building media campaigns and to obtain government buy-in have been successful [ 60 ]. Range-wide strategies for the cheetah have been developed and implementation is underway through eastern, southern, north, west and central Africa [ 9 , 14 , 36 ].

Committed conservationists are focusing on the bigger picture, encouraging community participation in finding solutions that alleviate conflict. The bigger picture allows for a global perspective and a multi-species, integrated approach to cheetah conservation.

To be successful, improved communication on a local level between stakeholders and on a global level between experts, practitioners, local communities and international conservation organizations would be required.

Guidance manuals, processes and systems needed to be developed, and HWC mitigation needed to be supported by international political and legal institutions. Since then, strategies for the three regions of Africa have been developed: central, west, and southern, eastern and north. These strategies have created a structure under which government programs could be developed, thus enabling conservation action on a national level.

Subsequently, National Action Plans have been developed in 13 cheetah range countries [ 14 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Furthermore, cheetah research and training has been conducted in countries such as Algeria, Angola, Benin, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Niger, Zambia and Somaliland [ 26 ].

Community-based, natural resource management NGOs are also working with many communities throughout Africa to develop integrated programs incorporating tourism development and economic incentives to diversify livelihoods for its citizens [ 62 ]. Through outreach programs focusing on agricultural education, farmers are being taught about livestock health and management along with grasslands, wildlife and basic principles of ecology [ 19 , 60 ].

Conservancies—collaborative partnerships of neighboring farms united by common operating principles—are being formed to implement standardized land management techniques that benefit people, livestock and wildlife [ 33 , 49 , 63 , 64 ]. Examples of successful conservancies are being used to provide the basis for developing large-scale trans-boundary land management plans for the future [ 64 ]. Conservation biologists increasingly underscore that national parks and reserves alone are not large enough to sustain the wildlife they were created to protect.

This is particularly true for the cheetah [ 25 , 65 ]. Therefore, the focus on conservation of private land is crucial. Conservancies are one of the most important solutions for cheetah survival as they promote sustainable management of natural resources and development of responsible eco-tourism [ 64 ].

Conservancies give communities a vested interest in the welfare of local wildlife by giving them control over the economic benefits from wildlife populations. As a result, fewer problems with poaching are experienced and human-wildlife conflict is reduced [ 49 ].

With populations dwindling through most cheetah-range countries, cheetah survival depends on people using an informed, integrated approach to conservation. Education is the foundation and must include communication, information sharing and capacity building [ 60 , 66 ]. In , CCF began conducting month-long courses to bring together conservation managers, scientists, and community representatives from African cheetah-range countries and Iran [ 66 ]. The courses build capacity, with a goal of stabilizing cheetah populations.

More than participants are now managing cheetah and wildlife conservation programs in their own countries. At the same time, research into ways to conserve and restore habitat for cheetahs and farmers is also important by working with local livestock farming communities, to help improve their livelihoods. Assigning economic value to cheetahs and having a thriving population on the landscape is key.

FFA teaches best agricultural practices to rural farmers to help them manage integrated wildlife and livestock farmlands. FFA also teaches how non-lethal predator control methods can reduce predation losses. The use of livestock guarding dogs is included in this course.

Many of these methods of reducing predator conflict are also applicable or adaptable to other animals such as mountain lions, jaguars and wolves, and have been used as models elsewhere in the world. FFA covers topics like livestock health, veterinary care, husbandry, and valuation as well as wildlife and rangeland management, methods of non-lethal predator control, predator identification and best practices to reduce livestock losses including the use of kraals, birthing camps as well as seasonal, coordinated breeding.

The use of a livestock guarding dog has been shown to be a very effective tool and is included in training [ 67 ] see Figure 3. The Anatolian shepherd or Kangal dogs have been used for thousands of years in the Turkish region of Anatolia as livestock guarding dogs, where they were formidable guardians of livestock against bears and wolves [ 69 , 70 , 71 ].

A goat herd protected by a livestock guardian dog in Namibia. Turkish Anatolian shepherd and Kangal dogs are bred and placed with livestock through the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia. Since , the Cheetah Conservation Fund CCF in Namibia, has bred and placed these dogs with livestock farmers to reduce conflict with livestock and reduce the killing of cheetahs and other predators.

Simultaneously, LGDs reduce the killing and capture of cheetahs and other predators [ 72 , 73 ]. The dogs have been so successful, similar programs in South Africa, Botswana and in Tanzania [ 68 ]. In , CCF conceptualized the Cheetah Country—Eco-Labeling Program to encourage predator-friendly farming techniques in producing beef, goat cheese, crafts, honey and wine [ 49 , 62 ].

The eco-label certifies a product meets or exceeds a set of consistent standards for environmental protection or social justice. Cheetah Country Beef, the eco- label for cattle farmers who ascribe to predator-friendly farming practices, has not yet been launched, however, under the voluntary certification, farmers would sign an agreement stating they will not indiscriminately kill cheetahs on their farmland and in return, they would receive a price premium for their meat [ 49 , 62 , 74 ].

The extra money will help farmers cover the cost of implementing non-lethal predator control measures, like the cost of calving kraals or keeping a livestock guarding dog [ 49 ]. The most successful example of an eco-label in food production is dolphin-friendly tuna, a concept that has gained traction around the world.

Cheetah populations can rebound. But humans also have the capacity to save them. In many parts of Africa, cheetahs and other large predators are viewed as threats to human livelihoods, rather than species vital to maintaining healthy, balanced ecosystems.

Good livestock management can protect herds while allowing prey and room for cheetahs and other predators. Having thriving cheetah populations also brings economic value to land as they and other predator species help drive tourism. Implementation of more programs now is critical, so future generations will benefit from having cheetahs on earth. Continuing to expand our scientific research will be important Figure 4 , while collaborating with international institutions in fields such as cheetah health, genetics, reproduction, ecology to establish population numbers, as well as expanding training and capacity building programs will be key in cheetah conservation, while expanding efforts to stop the illegal cheetah trafficking.

If we wait much longer, we will lose this amazing feline icon of speed and grace. A holistic approach that considers all stakeholders is critical to balance the needs of people, wildlife and the land and try to make their efforts sustainable. This way, the communities are more likely to be good stewards of wildlife. The end goal to save the cheetah is to achieve coexistence.

This is the only way to ensure a permanent place for cheetahs on Earth. Satellite collars allow monitoring of cheetahs movements. Looking to the future, teaching conservation and instilling a high regard for the environment among young learners will help cheetahs secure a permanent place on Earth.

Creative approaches are also necessary. The future of the cheetah will require enhancing the livelihoods of the human communities that live alongside them.

These include developing alternative income sources, such as eco-tourism, economic incentives for predator-friendly products. The concept is that farmers in cheetah range areas can be monitored and certified as practicing predator-friendly livestock management. In return for being good stewards to the cheetahs on their land, these farmers can be certified with the Cheetah Country eco-label and receive premium prices for their products [ 49 , 62 ].

Despite all of the problems facing the cheetah, including genetic uniformity, competition with other large predators, destruction of habitat and conflict with humans, this iconic animal has survived for thousands of years.

These are the core obsessions that drive our newsroom—defining topics of seismic importance to the global economy. Our emails are made to shine in your inbox, with something fresh every morning, afternoon, and weekend. Our recent report on global cheetah decline provides alarming reading.

Using the best available information, we estimate that there are only about 7, wild cheetah left in the world. Added to this perilous predicament is the fact that most cheetah live outside protected areas. There they face multiple threats including loss of habitat and prey; conflict with livestock and game keepers; and illegal wildlife trade in live cheetah for pets and dead cheetah for skins. For cheetah populations where there is sufficient information, most are declining.

This evidence, together with ongoing pressures outside protected areas, led me and 53 co-authors to recommend that the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of threatened species up-list the status of cheetah from vulnerable to endangered. Urgent action is needed if the survival of cheetah is to be secured. That there is international public support for cheetah and other iconic megafauna is beyond doubt. This is clear from the millions of international visitors who travel thousands of kilometers to see cheetah and other wildlife, and by the millions who avidly watch wildlife programmes streaming into their homes.

Cheetah are not the largest cat—they are less than a third the weight of a lion—but they are one of the widest ranging, capable of traveling across areas in excess of 1, square kilometers every year. This makes them particularly challenging to conserve.

They move this widely to find their prey and because they need to avoid other large predators, including lion and spotted hyena, which may kill their cubs and steal their kills. But this also means that cheetah occur at much lower densities than other big cats, sometimes seldom exceeding two for every square kilometers.