A quick search on Google and you can find several cheetahs sold online for as little as USD 600. Are we ready to lose one of Africa’s most iconic big cat to irresponsible consumption?
The first time I saw a cheetah in the wild it gained me the official title of spotter in my family. We were driving from the Seronera airstrip towards our camp in the Serengeti when I saw a couple of ears popping out from the tall grass. She was perfectly camouflaged, and had I not been staring at the beautiful landscape, we would have absolutely missed her. Cheetahs can be quite elusive, and once she saw us, she jumped and quickly ran away leaving us with a glimpse of her beauty and speed.
Cheetahs are the world's fastest land animal. They can reach up to 113 km/hr…At top speed, their stride is 7 meters long!!! To put things into a human perspective, think of Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, he can run 100 meters in 9.58 seconds. It would take a cheetah 5.8 seconds to cover the same distance!.
Cheetahs can achieve this thanks to a body that is uniquely adapted for speed:
1. Flexible spines: The cheetah’s shoulder blade does not attach to the collar bone, thus allowing the shoulders to move independently. Its hips pivot allowing the rear legs to stretch to incredible lengths. The hip and shoulder extension allow for a large range of extension during running, thus providing exceptional stride length.[1]
2. Long muscular tale: Which acts as a rudder to allow the cheetah to change direction even at full speed
3. Semi-retractable claws: They work as tires providing cheetahs with increased traction in fast, sharp turns.
All of these incredible features have not helped cheetahs win the race for survival. In the last 100 years, we have lost 90% of the cheetahs in the wild. Thousands of years ago, cheetahs could be found throughout Asia and Africa, today there are fewer than 7,100 cheetahs left in the wild.
Apart from human-wildlife conflict, loss of habitat and loss of prey; poaching and wildlife trafficking have brought cheetahs population to the brink of extinction. Cubs are taken from Africa and sold into the Arabian Peninsula. Somaliland, one of the poorest countries in Africa is the main transit route. It is estimated that 300 cubs are smuggled out of Somaliland every year.[2]
The majority of these cheetahs end up in the hands of the ultra-rich which parade them as status symbols. A quick search on Facebook and Instagram and you will find images and videos of cheetahs riding Ferraris or being walked as pets. The worst is, that these cheetahs often die after one or two years due to lack of space for running and inappropriate diets.
According to Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), the trend is of epidemic proportions “If you do the math, the math kind of shows that it's only going to be a matter of a couple of years [before] we are not going to have any cheetahs," Laurie Marker, founder of CCF. [2]
I believe we all play role in defining humanity's future. We must be the voice of those that cannot speak for themselves. Please report any activity that harms animals on the internet and consider supporting reputable conservation programs.
Cheetahs are so beautiful and graceful. I did not know there is so little of them left in the wild :(