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September 22, 2005
The Asian Cheetah
I've talked about cheetah's before, like in He Wants To See The Cheetahs, but those were mostly African cheetahs.
There is also the Asian cheetah, which is basically considered extinct, with less than a hundred animals thought to be left alive.
Sultans once kept thousands of cheetahs in their stables for hunting purposes, but they are very shy and their numbers have dwindled so that they are rarely seen by humans.
One way that biologists try to find out more about animals that are hard to locate is by placing remote cameras in areas likely to have cheetah activity. Sometimes these cameras take pictures on a schedule, and other times the camera is triggered by movement or other factors.
In Iran's Dar-e Anjir Wildlife Refuge, they hit paydirt. A whole family of cheetahs - a mother and 4 six-month-old cubs, was caught on film while resting in the shade of a tree. This is fantastic news, for the cub mortality rate is very high and a family this strong and healthy has not been seen in a very long time.
Its numbers may be as spotty as its coat, but the rare Asiatic cheetah is holding its own, as seen in this photograph taken by an automatic "camera trap" in Iran. A female cheetah and her four six-month-old cubs wandered into the camera's range while settling down for a rest in the shade. Experts say this is the largest group of the endangered cheetah ever photographed.
More at: National Geographic: Rare Cheetahs Caught In Camera Trap
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Posted by sorsha at September 22, 2005 1:56 PM
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Comments
I like cheetahs
Posted by: Rianna | May 12, 2007 2:40 PM
I like cheetahs, too. What makes you like them best?
Posted by: Lauren Darcey | May 14, 2007 10:06 AM
I like cheetahs, too. I'm doing a report on them. What are some little known facts I could use??
Posted by: Anna COle | October 3, 2007 6:24 AM
Hi Anna,
Interesting facts about cheetahs...
Hmm. Well, they have never been known to attack humans and were kept as pets (like hunting hounds) by sultans hundreds of years ago.
Also, they expend so much energy chasing after their prey, they are often too exhausted to kill and eat it when they catch it. I witnessed this first hand with an African cheetah in Kenya last year.
The cheetah stalked its prey for hours. Every time the moment was right to attack, something got in the way. A trio of spooked zebras, a herd of nervous (dangerous) Cape Buffalo. Finally, the moment was right and the cheetah struck. The chase was over in only a few seconds, but when we found the kill sight, the cat was holding the fully alert and live antelope by its neck. There was no blood. The cheetah was just resting while latching on to its dinner so it couldn't escape. I got the feeling that one good kick of the antelope and it could have gotten up and run off, fine. Only the cheetah's good grip kept it from losing its meal.
Staying alive on the African plains is tenuous like this.
Posted by: Lauren Darcey | October 8, 2007 8:19 AM
i love cheetahs and i don't know why so many people are huntig them. They are only hunting them for their fur!!! That is so annoying- just think if your mum died - would you do well? That is this scenario - you are killing cheetahs mums, but your not only killing cheetahs mums your killing cubs and they haven't done nothing wrong
[Edited for clarity]
Posted by: jade | March 8, 2008 6:11 AM
People hunt cheetahs for all sorts of unfortunate reasons, not just for fur, but for sport and for the wildlife trade in live wild animals for pets and for animal parts and for bush meat. They are also likely blamed by farmers for munching on their animals like birds or other small prey.
Posted by: Laurie Darcey | March 9, 2008 7:52 AM