Cheetahs could soon become extinct in the wild, according to a new report.
Currently, the earth is in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, and, the newest animal to face the threat of imminent extinction is the Cheetah. How many Cheetahs there are left in the world in 2019, might not be their population within the next few years, as wildlife conservationists believe that the cheetah population will be severely depleted in just a few short years.
Wildlife conservationists at the Cheetah Conservation Fund believe that Cheetahs could become extinct very quickly due to the cats being bought and sold as pets, which is depleting their numbers in the wild and contributing to their decline and possible extinction.
This is affecting how many Cheetahs are left in the world in 2019, it’s not just the cats being bought and sold as pets that is contributing to the cheetah population decline, it is also causing young cheetahs cubs to die en route travelling from Africa to the Middle East (where they are sold as pets) which is causing a rapid decline in these animals.
With cheetah cubs dying and the cheetah ‘pet’ trade booming a once populous animal across Africa is now on the verge of becoming extinct and fighting for their very survival.
How Many Cheetahs Are There Left In The World In 2019?
So, how many cheetahs are there left in the world in 2019? Currently, there are between 7,100 and 6,674 cheetahs in the wild today. This currently means that these animals are classed a ‘vulnerable’ to extinction, which is one step away from becoming endangered.
Their current population is low and their population is still decreasing.
Cheetahs once were abundant throughout Africa and the Middle East. However, today, Cheetahs are mostly found in small pockets in Africa, there are also a very small population of cheetahs within Iran, however, there are only thought to be 50 individual cheetahs in Iran.
Cheetahs are now mostly extinct in the Middle East and they are now heading towards extinction in Africa.
Human behaviour and expansion has been the cause of Cheetahs disappearing and heading towards extinction. Human behaviour has resulted in a massive 90% drop in the total population of Cheetahs in both the Middle East and Africa, and therefore, Cheetahs have disappeared from 90% of their historic range that they once roamed in.
What happens in the next few years could be crucial for Cheetahs, it could be a time when we work towards pulling them back from the brink of extinction, or, it could be the time when we witness the extinction of one of the few big cats that exist in the world today.
To help save Cheetahs from extinction, you can help the Cheetah Conservation Fund here, or you can help these beautiful animals by adopting one with the WWF here.