• Health
  • Science
  • U.S.
  • Technology
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Sports

Building a Better World

News and information

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Our Team

Are cheetahs becoming extinct?

December 31, 2016 By Jenny Marchal

Are cheetahs becoming extinct?

The cheetah population has declined by 85 percent in some areas.

When we think of cheetahs we would rarely consider them as being threatened with extinction but our fastest land mammal is under threat due to lack of space, loss of prey and illegal poaching.

Research lead by the Zoological Society of London, Wildlife Conservation Society and Panthera, has discovered a sharp decline in the cheetah population with just 7,100 left on the planet. No more so than in Zimbabwe where the population has decreased by 85 percent which translates to 1,200 to just 170 cheetahs over a 16 year period.

Due to these findings, the team leading the research are calling for the International Union for Conservation of Nature to consider changing the cheetah’s status to endangered or vulnerable in order to raise awareness and provide better environmental protection.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Sarah Durant believes the problem lies with the dramatic decrease in the cats’ territory in Africa and Asia where they are forced to hunt for scarce food due to tribes killing vital prey for bushmeat as well as young cubs being taken for pets.

“Our findings show that the large space requirements for cheetah, coupled with the complex range of threats faced by the species in the wild, mean that it is likely to be much more vulnerable to extinction than was previously thought,” explained Dr. Sarah Durant.

The cheetahs’ territory is also unprotected meaning illegal trafficking and poaching occurs on a regular basis making it much harder for the species to survive.

One suggestion is providing more money for conservation efforts through ecotourism and incentives and rewards for reducing poaching practices according to Durant, “I’m not pretending this is simple,” she said. “But I think we have no choice if we’re going to protect a species like this.”

Details of the findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

 

 

Sharing

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Front Page, Science

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us

Facebookrss

Search:

Recent Posts

  • NASA’s InSight spacecraft makes important course correction May 26, 2018
  • Scientists outraged at latest Trump decision May 15, 2018
  • Huge uproar erupts over major incident at Utah park May 13, 2018
  • Incredible moon discovery stuns scientists May 12, 2018
  • Authorities shocked by discovery about common painkiller May 6, 2018
  • Outrageous crocodile experiment stuns scientists May 5, 2018
  • Great Barrier Reef is too quiet, scientists say May 1, 2018
  • Massive Hiroshima bomb discovery shocks scientists May 1, 2018
  • Earth will be slammed by massive asteroid April 29, 2018
  • Teens are doing something incredibly alarming in schools April 29, 2018
  • Huge discovery in Tasmania stuns scientists April 28, 2018
  • Shocking discovery in New Jersey stuns authorities April 22, 2018
  • Huge volcanic explosion could wipe out the United States April 21, 2018
  • Huge controversy erupts over world’s hottest pepper April 15, 2018
  • SpaceX is about to do something astonishing April 15, 2018

Copyright © 2021 Jones Kilmartin Group, LLC · Metro Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress