Asiatic cheetah

Subject :Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: In Iran, endangered Asiatic cheetah dies at 10 months old

More on the News:

Iran’s only Asiatic cheetah cub died on February 28 despite days of treatment for kidney failure.
Pirouz, 10 months old, had been the only survivor of his litter of three endangered Asiatic cheetahs.
Iran has long tried to save Asiatic cheetah, one of the world’s critically endangered species. The United Nations is helping the government step up efforts to rescue the species.
The Asiatic cheetah, an equally fast cousin of the African cat, once ranged from the Red Sea to India. Its numbers have dwindled over the past century to an estimated 50 to 70 animals remaining in Iran. That’s down from as many as 400 in the 1990s.
Its numbers plummeted due to poaching, hunting its main prey, gazelles and encroachment on its habitat.
Cheetahs also have been hit by cars and killed in fights with sheep dogs, since shepherds have permits to graze their flocks in areas where the cheetahs live

African Cheetah

IUCN status– Vulnerable
CITES status– Appendix-I of the List. This List comprises of migratory species that have been assessed as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range.
Habitat – Around 6,500-7,000 African cheetahs present in the wild.
Physical Characteristics – Bigger in size as compared to Asiatic Cheetah.

Asian Cheetah

IUCN Status– Critically Endangered.
CITES– Appendix I of the list
Habitat – 40-50 found only in Iran.
Physical Characteristics – Smaller and paler than the African cheetah. Has more fur, a smaller head and a longer neck. Usually have red eyes and they have a more cat-like appearance.