The cheetah, the fastest animal on the planet, is sprinting
towards extinction. In Zimbabwe the number of cheetahs
has fallen by 85 per cent in 16 years. India was home
to this animal, but the last cat was killed in 1947. A study published
in the ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’
estimated that only 7,100 cheetahs remain in the wild. The
timid nature of the cheetah makes it vulnerable to other more
aggressive animals. Although it can reach speeds of up to 70
miles per hour, the chase leaves it exhausted and defenseless.
This cat is elusive and secretive and requires large habitats to
survive. Every advance made by man encroaches on this habitat
and reduces the space required for the cheetah to survive
in the wild. The future of humans and animal species are interdependent
and a world with only humans would not be sustainable.
Hence it becomes the burden of humans to ensure
that animals survive in the wild. The authors of the report have
urged that the cheetah be declared as endangered in the International
Union for Conservation of Nature’s Registered List of
Threatened Species. This could be a promising start.
