Census records 83 adult cheetahs across nearly 100,000 km² in South Africa — Mongabay

While mapping nearly 100,000 square kilometers in the Republic of South Africa, researchers found only 83 adult cheetahs. The Free-Roaming Cheetah Census project became the largest cheetah survey in the region, Mongabay reports.

Barriers to movement

Cheetahs living in unprotected areas naturally move between South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. However, agriculture, construction, land development and fences make their movement more difficult.

Cheetahs need large, interconnected landscapes to survive. If the animals do not mix with other groups of cheetahs, they may lose genetic diversity.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Conflict with farmers

Another problem for the animals is conflict with farmers. They sometimes kill cheetahs because they believe the animals hunt livestock. At the same time, researchers found that cheetahs mainly hunt wild prey.

The species currently has vulnerable status. At the same time, the census results indicate the need to reclassify cheetahs in South Africa as an endangered species.