Conserve Our Cheetahs

Jungle safaris, zoos, and wildlife sanctuaries have been a hotspot for all the parents to take their children. The excitement to see animals while learning and imagining them in fantasy stories has been a childhood amusement for many. However, what will happen if the animals we see in these places start disappearing or become extinct? Actually, many of these animals have been vanishing at an alarming rate and conservation efforts have been going on in full swing. The world’s fastest animal Cheetah has been diminishing and it is a fact to worry. 

Coming from the feline family, Cheetah is known as lightly built and fastest animal. It mainly occurs in Africa and Iran. Most of its habitats are dry grasslands or shrub forests among others. The man-animal conflict is one of the prime reasons for its extinction. Currently, around 7,100 cheetahs are left in the wild. In earlier days, poaching was rampant and illegal pet trade was one of the crucial motives for its vanishing. Even their habitat has been intruded by humans for residents. The kind of habitat and large spaces they need have been wiped out for establishments. Collective and conscious efforts need to be taken to preserve the ecosystem.  

The government has put up the option of cloning a few years back. They were in the process of importing Asiatic cheetahs from Iran. Also, the possible reintroduction of Cheetahs in the Indian region was one of the options. They had picked out potential sites like Nauradehi Wildlife sanctuary, Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh and Shahgarh bulge landscape in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan for reintroduction. Although initiatives have been taken for saving Cheetahs, they need to be materialized on a war footing to save the animal. Unless we save the ecology, these extinct animals would be lost in childhood stories.