Cheetah  (Acinonyx jubatus)

The Cheetah is endangered throughout its range, due to the loss of habitat and prey as well as direct persecution (2). Both captive and wild cheetahs have very low genetic variation and it was previously thought that this posed a severe threat to their survival; captive cheetahs have a very low successful birth rate and lack of genetic variation renders wild populations particularly vulnerable to sudden environmental change (3). However, studies have revealed that wild populations have a healthy reproductive rate and the implications of genetic similarities remain unclear. One of the major concerns today is competition with the more successful carnivores of the African plains; lions and hyenas kill cheetah cubs and also drive adults away from kills. In protected reserves where these animals are thriving, cheetahs may be under severe threat (3). Persecution by farmers because of livestock predation is an additional threat to the survival of this species (3).

The cheetah is protected by law throughout its range and occurs within a number of reserves (6), although competition with lions and hyenas means that these reserves may not be the best way of conserving this species (3). In Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, limited trophy hunting of cheetahs is allowed on private property, as a method of encouraging landowners to accept cheetahs on their land by enjoying the profit hunting provides (3). In Namibia, the Cheetah Conservation Fund has initiated a novel conservation programme; providing farmers with guard dogs to protect their livestock herds. To date, this scheme has led to a dramatic reduction in the number of cheetahs trapped and killed (8).