Reasons why the Asiatic Cheetah became endangered

Reasons why the Asiatic Cheetah became endangered:

1. Excessive hunting
2. Habitat degradation
3. Scarcity of prey species that were hunted to near extinction by man.

• There have been no sightings in Afghanistan since the 1950’s, and a 2001 survey in Pakistan found no sign of the big cats.
• They used to wander from Iran to Turkmenistan but construction of a border fence has made this natural migration more difficult.
• The last wild Asiatic Cheetahs in Iran are now thought to number between 70-110 individuals, all occupying the remote and arid central plateau. Iran considers their Cheetah an important part of its natural and cultural heritage and it has now become a symbol of the country’s conservation efforts.
• In 2005, a camera trap photo in Iran captured a picture of a female with four cubs about six months old. This encouraging picture may indicate that efforts to restore the natural prey population are working.

Ways to save the Asiatic Cheetah population:

1. Stop hunting them to use their fur for clothes, shoes, and rugs.

Organizations:

***Some organizations that are trying to save the Asiatic cheetahs are the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the EarthWatch Institute.***

                                                            

                                                                             
                                                  
           
                                                                           

Video on the Asiatic Cheetah

Video on the Asiatic Cheetah:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Asiatic cheetah once had a distribution that extended across the Middle East, Central Asia, north into southern Kazakhstan and southeast into India.  Today, the cheetah has been extirpated from its entire Asiatic range, except for a small and critically endangered population in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The population of the Asiatic Cheetah

Original Population:

• The historical distribution of this member of the cat family used to range across diverse  and vast areas from the Indian subcontinent, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to the Peninsula of Arabia and Syria.
• In 1977 the last Asiatic Cheetah was recorded in Oman and it is believed that today the Asiatic cheetah’s population is confined to the Iran’s boundary.

Today's Population:

• Today there are only 70-110 Asiatic cheetahs left in the wild, all occupying the, central plateau of Iran.

 

 

    

All about the Asiatic Cheetah

 

Physical Apperance:

• Asiatic Cheetahs grow to approximately 44 to 53 inches in length as adults.
• Their tails range from 26 to 33 inches as adults.
•  As adults, their height can reach 32 inches and they can weigh 86 to 143 pounds.
• Asiatic cheetahs tend to be slender and have long legs.
• Their claws are semi-retractable and blunt. Their fur is short, coarse and tan in color with several small, black, round spots. They have high-set eyes and small heads with a “tear mark” that is black in color that begins at the corner of each eye and runs down to the sides of the mouth and nose.

Habitat:

• Asiatic Cheetahs thrive in open lands, small plains, semi-desert areas, and other open habitats where prey is available.
• The Asiatic cheetah is found mainly in the desert areas.
• Asiatic cheetahs can be found in Northern Iran and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• They can live in several different types of habitat. These include areas with tall grass, grassy plains, places with large plants and bushes and in treeless plains.

Diet:

• Asiatic cheetahs are carnivores.
• These cats have been spotted hunting during the day, but they sometimes also hunt at night.
• They tend to hunt more often during the day because hunting at night means they might come into a conflict with other bigger predators such as leopards and lions.
• These big cats tend to prey on oryx, gazelles, kudu, impala, young warthogs, game birds, rabbits and hartebeest.

Young:

• It is believed that the Asiatic cheetah tends to breed during the mid-winter months.
• Females are thought to have one to four cubs at a time, but average two cubs at a time.
• It is believed that cubs reach independence at about eighteen months old.
• It is estimated that approximately 50 to 75 percent of cubs do not live longer than three months.