When we first brainstormed what our
associations with Namibia were, I mentioned cheetahs. Prior to this seminar, I
knew most of the world’s wild cheetahs resided in Namibia, but that was it. For
my blog post I wanted to learn a little more about the fastest animal on land!
In the
1900s more than 100,000 cheetahs lived across Africa, the Middle East and
India. Today, cheetah populations have been reduced to just a fraction (approx.
11%) of their former range.
Today just
a little over 7,000 individuals exist, and the species is at risk of extinction.
Since Namibia has world's largest remaining cheetah population, this country is
key to the survival of the species. In the 1980s and 1990s, thousands of
cheetahs were killed every year by Namibian farmers. Even today 90% of Namibia’s
cheetahs live on livestock farmland and therefore are at risk of being killed
during conflict with humans. Cheetahs kill livestock, and farmers therefore poison,
shoot, and trap cheetahs. Educating Namibia’s farmers about cheetahs, is a key
component to protecting the species.
Part of the
ongoing conservation work has also been aimed at finding ways to reduce
livestock casualties, and encourage cheetahs to hunt their traditional prey
like antelope. One effective method has involved introducing Anatolian shepherd
dogs to live permanently with the livestock, because cheetahs are reluctant to attack
livestock guarded by canines.
At the
heart of cheetah conservation, is the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) which is
located in Otjiwarongo, Namibia. A woman from the United States named Laurie
Marker
founded and currently
leads the organization.
Some other
fun facts about the cheetah are that it uses its tail like a rudder to turn
sharply, and the black ‘tear’ marks on its face actually help to reduce the
suns glare and improving their ability to see their prey.
Christina Savvides
Sources:
It looks like cheetahs once had a huge range--when did they live in India? -Mini
ReplyDeleteSo sad to hear about these beautiful animals' reduced range! How much of an affect does hunting have on their populations?
ReplyDelete-Michelle H. 1/28