Cheetahs are on the verge of extinction
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Majestic cats and other large predators in the African savannah are disappearing due to human persecution and habitat loss.
The cheetah is an iconic animal of the African savannah, scientists are sounding the alarm that this majestic cat may soon disappear from the face of the earth.
Along with spotted mammals, wild dogs and hyenas are also in danger.
Oxford University researchers found that the plight of animals has been overlooked due to the focus on lions, leopards and other large predators, and regions such as South Africa, Kenya and North, West and Central Africa do not provide reliable data on their numbers.
In particular, 26 countries currently lack any reliable information, especially in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Chad. Identifying knowledge gaps will improve conservation efforts by identifying funding, investment and priorities, the scientists say.
Lead author Dr Paolo Strampelli of the University of Oxford said: “Research efforts are heavily biased towards lions and striped hyenas, despite the fact that the latter are the species with the widest continental range. African wild dogs have also shown a negative bias, although this is partly due to their relatively limited distribution.”
The African savannah ecosystem is a tropical grassland with warm temperatures all year round and seasonal rainfall. The savannah is characterized by grasses and small or scattered trees and is the largest biome in South Africa, covering 46 percent of the region.
Most of the research was done in government-managed tourist areas, with less attention paid to unprotected and trophy hunting areas.
Dr. Strumpelli and his colleagues called for the maximum involvement of local scientists, students and practitioners in future research on the number of cheetahs. This may lead to more successful conservation of spotted cats and striped hyena numbers.
In some countries, including Botswana and Tanzania, studies of this kind have not been conducted at all recently.
“There is an urgent need for additional cheetah population estimates, especially in North, West and Central Africa,” Strampelli said.
Christina DENISYUK.
Photo: Getty Images
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