Too Fast For Extinction?

Two Beautiful Cheetahs (courtesy of National Geographic)

The cheetah is truly one of the most beautiful yet viscous creatures animal kingdom. Being the fastest land animal on the planet will earn you quite the reputation. Perhaps cheetahs have found a problem that they can’t outrun, extinction. Even though cheetahs seem to be in every cartoon or commercial as the symbol of speed, it seems that their populations are dwindling. Once again, this population loss is made by none other than nature’s villains… humans. Christophe Beaudufe of the IrishExaminer states that “There are barely 10,000 in the wild today in Africa, and a smallpopulation in Iran which is critically endangered” (1). This leads him to make the breath-taking estimate that if our human behavior doesn’t change, cheetahs will go extinct by or before 2030.

A devastating spike has hit cheetah populations
all over the globe
(Pictures of Cats.org)

      Cheetahs are subject to many different results of human development. One of the most active fighters for the livelihood of cheetahs is Laurie Marker. As a member of Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, Marker states that, Laurie Marker “The main limitation to the survival of the species in the wild is reduction and fragmentation of habitat as well as human wildlife conflict.” With this loss of habitat, cheetahs are forced to make serious shifts in their natural behavior, which makes in incredibly difficult for them to have a sustained livelihood.   

Ideally in cases like this, humans will try make up for the land and habitats they’ve destroyed by constructing new ones where animals can be conserved. Unfortunately, cheetahs cannot thrive in these environments. Laurie mentions this in a completely different interview when shesays, Cheetahsdon't do well in protected wildlife reserves due to increased competition fromother larger predators, such as lions and hyenas, which thrive in protected areas”(2). This has put the cheetah in between a rock and a hard place. They are forcibly being relocated to an area in which they cannot thrive.

A depiction of wandering animals during the "Ice Age"
(Texas A&M University)

   What is ironic about the future extinction of the majestic cheetah is that this isn’t the speedy feline’s first cross with death. Cheetahs were amongst the handful of mammals to survive one of the 5 mass extinctions. This particular mass extinction event is known to most as being called the “Ice Age.” Scientists refer to it as the Quaternary extinction event. In this time period, mammals were victims of both their environment, and of other animals that would do anything to survive the extreme temperature change.

Cheetahs are especially susceptible to extinction because they lack a crucial element in a battle against extinction: biodiversity. Scientists have been puzzled by this lack of biodiversity. Laurie Marker demonstrates this point by stating, “every cheetah today is as closely related as if they were twins, leading to a genetic bottleneck.” However, recently, evidence has supported the fact that this great extinction was the reason for such a lack of biodiversity. Karl S. Kruszelnicki deduces from these facts that, a ‘natural’ disaster dropped their total world population down to less than seven individual cheetahs - probably about 10,000 years ago” (3).

A representation of how biodiversity works
with cheetahs. (Berkley.edu)

Cheetahs are especially susceptible to extinction because they lack a crucial element in a battle against extinction: biodiversity. Scientists have been puzzled by this lack of biodiversity. Laurie Marker demonstrates this point by stating, “every cheetah today is as closely related as if they were twins, leading to a genetic bottleneck.” However, recently, evidence has supported the fact that this great extinction was the reason for such a lack of biodiversity. KarlS. Kruszelnicki deduces from these facts that, a ‘natural’ disaster droppedtheir total world population down to less than seven individual cheetahs -probably about 10,000 years ago” (3).

It wouldn’t actually be too far of a stretch to say that humans are the 6^th mass extinction. This is because our manipulation of global environments has clearly taken its toll on different types and elements of nature that are available to us. This has incredible ripple effects that affect every single species within the ecosystem. This 6thextinction has been subject to scrutiny and examination amongst scientists,including Kira Johnson, who have all identified this natural event as theHolocene extinction event. (4). Because almost all factors of this new extinction event are human derived, scientist are making strives and suggestions to alternative paths than extinction. National Geographic states that these strives include, “conservation measures, sustainable development,stabilization of the human population and the support of environmentallyresponsible economic development will be essential in halting the extinctioncrisis” (5).

            So how does the cheetah affect me? As our behavior most certainly affects its life, the cheetah’s absence takes a heavy toll on human life. This is because, like the lion, which was discussed in the last blog entry, the cheetah is a keystone species. This means if cheetahs become extinct, animals that are usually eaten by cheetahs will overpopulate and change the foundation of the whole ecosystem for the worse. This is why, asexplained by the Cheetah Conservation Fund, the relationship between thepredator and its prey is incredibly delicate and an undeniable aspect ofbiodiversity. (6)

            The good news is that it’s not too late to give cheetahs a boost in this race against death. “An Uproar Cause,” amovement headed by National Geographic is working to educate populations ofpeople near cheetahs to better maintain livestock and keep a steady eye on predators(such as cheetahs) that hunt them. This way, farmers can keep steady populations of animals, “so herders, don’t become hunters” (7). A video for their cause is available on the left of this paragraph.

          This will also further preserve the biodiversity of the ecosystem where these animals live. The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre also makes great strides to achieve victories over the factors endangering cheetahs. This involves research into the events that contribute to population loss for cheetahs. They also make special efforts to breed cheetahs and “maintainadequate gene pools of rare and endangered species” (8)

The cheetah is truly a gem of nature. It’s swift movements and tremendous speed has made it one of the most intriguing creatures on this planet. Despite its land speed records and perseverance through extinction, the cheetah is now facing an almost unstoppable enemy who will end the legacy of the speedy cat, humans. This means that only humans have the power to save the cheetah. The extinction has undeniable implications on our species, and must be stopped at all cost. So what do you say? Let’s cheet this extinction!

http://www.irishexaminer.com/world/cheetahs-survived-ice-age-but-may-be-extinct-by-2030-229359.html (1)

http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/cheetahs-in-race-to-survive_844564.html (2)

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/1999/08/02/40791.htm (3)

http://www.izilwane.org/the-sixth-great-extinction.html (4)

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/03/28/the-sixth-great-extinction-a-silent-extermination/ (5)

http://www.cheetah.org/?nd=cheetah_book (6)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql5-BqcuyIc (7)

http://www.dewildt.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=61 (8)