Threatened and Endangered Species: The Cheetah, Research Paper Example

By definition, an endangered species (a species of animal) is one that is viewed as being at risk for extinction, due to low numbers related to its population in the wild. Although an endangered species is threatened by many factors, the main factor is human beings that are responsible for destroying an animal’s natural environment through exploitation and by hunting a species to extinction. Even though extinction is a natural part of the process of evolution, some species are more endangered than others, especially if they live in geographical areas that are in competition with human beings. One of these species is the cheetah, a member of what is known as the Lesser Cats as contrasted with the Great Cats like lions and tigers, and which can be found in Western Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (BigCatRescue.org, 2014).

According to the BigCatRescue.org website, the cheetah is listed as an endangered species on the Conservation of International Trade in Endangered Species handbook which keeps track of the types of species that are hunted, trapped, and sold on in the global market for skins and pelts (2014). As might be suspected, human beings are the number one predator of cheetahs and other large cats like the leopard, jaguar, panther, and in the United States, the cougar and mountain lion (Channell and Lomolino, 2000). In its natural habitat which today is mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa, the cheetah is constantly fighting against human beings for living space and food, mostly because of the widespread use of virgin land and forest for farmland to grow food and crops for Africa’s burgeoning population (Marker and Dickman, 2004).

It may be difficult to understand, but human beings tend to dislike and fear carnivores like the cheetah which may help to explain why some people see nothing wrong with attempting to wipe out a particular species. From a psychological standpoint, “The power that large carnivorous animals have over humans” (i.e., that an animal like the cheetah is capable of easily killing a person) is bred in the bone and has resulted in a complex relationship” based on fear and unfounded mistrust. Mythologically, humans have long believed that man is descended from jaguars or that man can transform himself into a wolf (lycanthropy). What this means is that the lines have been blurred between fact and fiction, reality and myth, and that as a consequence, many species currently face extinction merely because of ignorance and a lack of respect for the natural world (Ray and Redford, 2005).

The widespread use of virgin land for farming has caused the number of cheetahs in Africa to dwindle considerably. This is referred to as habitat fragmentation which occurs when the natural environment is divided into sections for farming. One of the results is that the cheetah’s food source (cheetahs are carnivores) is depleted or in a sense locked away in another section. There are also problems associated with the farmers who see cheetahs and other carnivorous species as pests (Marker and Dickman, 2004).

Statistically, in 1980, farmers and ranchers in the nation of Namibia reportedly killed almost 7,000 cheetahs which the ranchers claimed were killing their livestock for food. Today, there are an estimated 10,000 cheetahs living in the wilds of Sub-Saharan Africa with a mere handful living in Asia. What these numbers indicate is that the cheetah population has decreased by almost 90% over the last one hundred years, due in part to habitat destruction and poaching (Marker and Dickman, 2004).

One thing that has not changed over the years in relation to the cheetah being an endangered species is its habitat or environment. From a biological standpoint, the cheetah like many of its kindred species prefers to live in open grasslands where the vegetation is relatively sparse. This is because in this type of environment, food sources like antelope are easy to spot and chase down without having to be concerned with dense undergrowth. The cheetah also possesses a rather unique way of hunting its prey, for instead of stalking like a lion, the cheetah outruns its prey. In the wild, cheetahs have been clocked at speeds of over 70 mph (BigCatRescue.org, 2014).

In Namibia, it is estimated that about 2,500 cheetahs live in the wild but because of the continuous growth of farmlands, most of these cheetahs are forced to live and hunt on cultivated land which causes conflict between the farmers and the cheetahs (BigCatRescue.org, 2014). Therefore, cheetah distribution has become extremely limited and is now generally confined to Namibia, Kenya, and several other African nations as well as in a few nations in Western Asia (BigCatRescue.org, 2014).

In the recent past, biologists and ecologists have studied the habitats of cheetahs in great depth in an effort to help save them from extinction. One study revealed that cheetahs tend to congregate in open grasslands and savannahs, due to being territorialists or preferring home ranges. Another study revealed that female cheetahs prefer dense woodlands and forests, perhaps because of the fact that impalas, one of the cheetah’s main food sources, also prefers woodlands. However, some biologists have speculated that female cheetahs prefer dense woodlands because it provides cover during the mating season and when female cheetahs have their young (Broomhall, Mills, and du Toit, 2004).

Another important reason for the cheetah being considered as an endangered species in the wild is due to its social system. For the most part, female cheetahs are solitary animals, meaning that they tend to live alone rather than as members of a group except when taking care of their cubs. Males however tend to form groups made up of at least three or four and tend to be highly territorial as a group. Thus, due to extensive farming and the destruction of their natural habitats, male cheetahs are dwindling which also affects the number of cheetahs born in the wild. As of 2015, the ratio is one male to every two females in the wild (BigCatRescue.org, 2014).

In more scientific terms, the cheetah is considered as an endangered species because of its genetic makeup. One particular condition is known as genetic monomorphism which refers to hypersensitivity to various types of viruses and pathogens (O’Brien and Roelke, 1985) in the natural world or those that have been introduced by man through land exploitation and farming. These viruses and pathogens often affect the female’s ability to have cubs which in itself helps to decrease the number of young cheetahs in the wild. Technically, this is referred to by scientists and researchers as genetic diversity which affects sperm count and makes cheetahs more susceptible to diseases. This condition also affects the cheetah’s ability to overcome changes in the environment, such as when habitat fragmentation occurs (O’Brien and Roelke, 1985).

In recent years, geneticists have utilized molecular genetic tools in the lab in order to create new ways of dealing with the decrease of cheetahs in the wild related to genetic monomorphism and genetic diversity. These highly complex tools are also being utilized for studying how cheetah populations are structured and how cheetahs behave in a given environment while interacting with other species. Hopefully, studies that are now being conducted will shed some new light on how cheetahs can adapt in the wild and survive for future generations, all of which are dependent upon the ever-increasing number of people in areas where the cheetah currently lives, especially in Namibia and other Sub-Saharan African nations (O’Brien and Johnson, 2005). But unfortunately, over-population continues to threaten thousands of species in Africa, especially carnivores and the “Great Cats” which despite years of concentrated effort by environmentalists are now facing total extinction (O’Brien and Johnson, 2007).

Another area of concern that deserves to be mentioned is trophy hunting or organized hunting clubs that place a premium on wild cat pelts and skins for decorative purposes. This is perhaps one of the most hotly debated issues among environmentalists, conservationists, and entrepreneurs who consider wildlife as an opportunity for financial gain (Palazy, Bonenfant,  Gaillard, and Courchamp, 2011). A number of studies conducted over the last decade have shown conclusively that trophy hunting does pose a threat to some endangered species, especially if the species is considered as a “rare catch” like the cheetah whose pelt has long been treasured for its distinct beauty (Palazy, Bonenfant, Gaillard, and Courchamp, 2011). One suggestion that has been offered as a way to lower trophy hunting is to make the price so exorbitantly high that no one except the extreme wealthy could afford it (Palazy, Bonenfant,  Gaillard, and Courchamp, 2011).

Thus, in order to help curb the loss of endangered species like the cheetah and other animals that roam freely about our planet, national governments must create new programs aimed at conserving earth’s natural environment and the precious habitats in which endangered animals live. Also, since most of the cheetah population lives in the nation of Namibia, the Namibian government must develop new ways of determining exactly how many cheetahs are present in the wild and then create new methods that will help to guarantee that the number of cheetahs remains as it is (Marker and Dickman, 2007).

Also, the Namibian government and other state governments in Sub-Saharan Africa in which cheetahs are found must alter their laws related to land management and the amount of new farmlands that are created within the habitat of the cheetah. Some conservationists feel that new farmlands should be banned in habitat areas and that large sections of the country must be set aside as sanctuaries, such as those that currently exist in Kruger National Park in South Africa (Marker and Dickman, 2007). Also, poaching laws must be made more enforceable with very high penalties for poaching. But overall, like other endangered species, the cheetah may be doomed to extinction, due to human population growth which requires new living space and land for growing food. Of course, new policies and laws are always good, but they are only as good as the governments behind them which unfortunately encourages growth instead of conservation.

Literature Cited

BigCatRescue.org. Cheetah Facts. 2014. http://bigcatrescue.org/cheetah-facts. [accessed 2015 March 6]

Broomhall, L.S., Mills, M.G.L., and du Toit, J.T. 2004. Home range and habitat use by cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in Kruger National Park. Journal of Zoology. 261(2): 119-128.

Channell, R., and Lomolino, M.V. 2000. Dynamic biogeography and conservation of endangered species. Nature. 403: 84-86.

Marker, L., and Dickman, A. 2004. Human aspects of cheetah conservation: Lessons

learned from Namibian farmlands. Human Dimensions of Wildlife: An International Journal. 9(4): 297-305.

—. 2007. The Namibian cheetah: Status report. Cat News. 3: 4-13.

O’Brien, S.J., and Roelke, M.E. 1985. Genetic basis for species vulnerability in the cheetah. Science. 227(4693): 1428-1434.

O’Brien, S.J., and Johnson, H.S. 2005. Big cat genomics. Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics. 6: 407-429.

—. 2007. The evolution cats. Scientific American. 297: 68-75.

Palazy, L., Bonenfant, C., Gaillard, J., and Courchamp, F. 2011. Cat dilemma: Too protected to escape trophy hunters? http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0022424#pone-0022424-g004. [accessed 2015 March 6]

Ray, Justina, and Redford, Kent. H. 2005. Large Carnivores and the Conservation of Biodiversity. Island Press, Washington, D.C. 526 pp.