Threats to Cheetahs

Five factors that are affecting our world's cheetah population. Information on Illegal Wildlife & Pet Trade.

What is Happening to Cheetahs?

1

Cheetahs are born with genetic issues.
Thousands of years ago many animals died off, including large populations of cheetahs. This caused a 'population bottleneck' where only a small population of cheetahs survived.
Because of this the cheetahs today have very similar genetic make-ups. This causes many genetic issues for cheetah populations. Cheetahs are more likely to get diseases, have trouble having cubs and less likely to adapt to their environments. Genetic diversity takes hundreds of years to develop and increasing cheetah populations helps with this issue.

2

Cheetahs have conflicts with humans.
Almost all of the wild cheetah population in Africa live on private farmland. This can cause cheetahs to come into direct contact with farmers and their livestock. Livestock are domesticated animals like, cattle and goats that are raised to help with work, provide food and materials.
When livestock is attacked and an animal is killed by a predator, cheetahs are blamed many of the times. Cheetahs have been killed and trapped by farmers for lots and lots of years.

3

Cheetahs are losing habitat.
Cheetahs need large areas of land to hunt, roam, seek water sources, keep distances from larger animals and humans. Mama cheetahs also need space to raise cubs safely.
The land cheetahs share with farmers has become more and more fenced and fragmented. This will increase as the human population grows and without large areas of land cheetahs will continue to struggle.

4

Cheetahs have less food to eat.
Cheetahs hunt, eat and survive on prey animals The prey animals feed and live on the vast grasslands of the savanna. The prey animals are losing space for grazing and habitat to live just like the cheetahs.
Thomson's gazelle, the cheetah's favorite food, are declining in population numbers and are considered a near-threatened species in the world (ICUN Red List Status, 2020).

5

Poaching, illegal wildlife & pet trade are affecting cheetah populations.
Poaching is the illegal hunting, killing or capturing of animals from the wild. Many cheetahs are been hunted and killed for their skins (pelts). This practice still exists in parts of the world where a cheetah skin is worth more than an alive cheetah.
In other parts of the world, cheetahs are wanted as pets. Illegal wildlife trade is creating devastating effects to the cheetah population as young cubs are taken straight out of their mother's nest to be sold as pets. These poached cubs are often smuggled to far away places and bought as pets and seen as symbols of wealth in some cultures. 
The cubs are transported in small boxes, bins or containers and often do not survive the journey. If the cheetahs do survive the journey their life in captivity is very short. Cheetahs do NOT survive well in houses where they eat the wrong diets, live in small cages and have no place to run and roam. Cheetahs are NOT pets.

Illegal Wildlife & Pet Trade

Cheetah Conservation Fund Addresses the Illegal Pet Trade Directly.... Creating a Cheetah Rescue & Conservation Center (CRCC) in Somaliland.
The Illegal Wildlife and Pet Trade continues to grow out of control and is causing a crisis for the cheetah population of the world. The Horn of Africa has an large amount of the illegal pet trading occuring, where wildlife, often very young animals/birds* are taken from the wild and sold to buyers across the ocean to the Arabian Pennisula/Gulf Region. The Cheetah Conservation Fund has worked with the government to set up a Cheetah Rescue and Conservation Center (CRCC) in Somaliland. This center will provide space and care of the many, many orphaned cheetah cubs confiscated from traffickers by the authorities and help address this terrible problem.
The CRCC is on a very large area of wide open space called Geed-Deeble outside of the capital of Hargesia. The field center provides room to house and care for the orphaned cheetah cubs along with staff housing, vet clinic and educational areas. There are other animals roaming in this area too, cute little diks diks and lots of BIG tortoises. (see photo by @cam.carver). CCF is employing local people and is involved with numerous programs in the area, like the Future Farmers of Africa, to help people make a living while valuing their wildlife/natural resources. The CCF has their work cut out and it will take a continous dedicated world effort to combat this ever growing issue of Illegal wildlife and pet trade. See the lists of the species unfortunately caught in this terrible situation*
CNN Reports on Illegal Pet Trade: Cheetahs
A growing problem is the illegal pet trade. People are taking young cubs out of the wild illegally and are selling them to wealthy buyers. The cubs are taken from the Horn of Africa and sold to buyers in the Middle East.
CNN reported on this issue August, 2019. It's a tough topic to hear about and watch so kids ask your parents to join you and check out the news story together. Link below for video on the current illegal pet trade issue.
CNN Replay S12:E226 - The ultra-rich are illegally buying cheetahs as pets and it's leading to their extinction.
Very hard to watch but it's real and it's taking many of our world's young cheetahs out of the wild and into a captive and very short life. Cheetahs are NOT pets.
©CheetahConservationFund
Somaliland is located in the Horn Of Africa
*Top 6 Species caught in the Gulf Region's Illegal Wildlife & Pet Trade
1. African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) 2. Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug)3. Peregrine Falco (Falco peregrinus)4. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) 5. Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)6. Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes
Top 3 Species caught in China & Southeast Asia Region's Illegal Wildlife & Pet Trade
1. Black & White Rhino (Diceros bicornis and Ceratotherium simum)2. Pangolin 3. Ivory from African Elephants Resource ©LegalAtlas2022

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