The magnificent cheetah is the fastest land mammal and can reach speeds of up to 45-70 miles per hour. They have keen vision, which allows them to see their prey from very far off, and then chase it down. It only takes three seconds for a cheetah to reach their top speed. In order to steer when running at high speeds, they use their muscular tail like a rudder.
Like many impressive animals throughout the world, the cheetah’s numbers are dwindling. If humans don’t intervene on their behalf, they will eventually become extinct.
According to National Geographic, it is estimated that there are only around 7,000 cheetahs left in the wild, which is down from 14,000 cheetahs in 1975. Much of this can be attributed to the loss of precious land that was once a part of their habitat:
“…the cheetah has been driven out of 91 percent of its historic range—the big cats once roamed nearly all of Africa and much of Asia, but their population is now confined predominantly to six African countries: Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, and Mozambique. The species is already almost extinct in Asia, with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in one isolated pocket of Iran.”
The land they once roamed is now used for agriculture and livestock and if the cheetahs provide any threat, especially to livestock, the farmers will eliminate them. “Cheetahs are also subject to vehicle collisions, poaching for their skin and other body parts, and even being killed for bushmeat, though that threat is mostly targeted at cheetah’s prey species, such as antelopes, gazelles, impalas, and warthogs. All are ideal cheetah prey, and all are heavily hunted by people in many areas…”
Without prey, the cheetahs don’t have enough to eat. An additional factor is the cheetah’s exploitation by the exotic pet trade.
Eden is a cheetah who lives at Cheetah Experience in South Africa, a cheetah breeding center — captive breeding is one way to help protect the species. When one of her caretakers, Dolph Volker, decided to take a nap in the shade of a tree in her enclosure, he didn’t expect that she would join him! Even though Eden is somewhat “tame,” she is still a wild animal and could potentially be dangerous. But, she doesn’t appear dangerous at all as she snuggles and naps with her human pal.
Watch the amazing cheetah encounter in the video below and please like and share this marvelous moment!
