Do cheetahs live in India?
No, cheetahs don’t live in India but they used to four hundred years ago when they were common in western and central India south of the Ganges, where its range mirrored that of its major prey animal at that time, the blackbuck.
Female cheetah and cubs. Photo: Pixabay.
Infographic on cheetah description
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Trafficked cheetah cubs flaunted on Instagram
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In fact the cheetah was widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and even North America. Hard to believe today.
In the Middle East the cheetah was found in the Sind (Sindh), Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Palestine.
In Africa where it is still found but in a much reduced distribution, the species ranged through “all suitable habitats except desert and tropical forest from the Mediterranean to the Cape of Good Hope” (source: C.A. Guggisberg 1975 Wild Cats of the World).
Not much hope today I am afraid. There are an estimated 8,000 African cheetahs left in the wild and the number of Asian cheetahs in Iran is probably unsustainable at 50 (guesstimate). There has been a decline by 50% over the past 40 years. Human pressure through more people and more commerce etc. plus habitat loss are the main causes.
Where the cheetah lives in general terms. Map: MikeB.
The travel is downwards in terms of numbers in the wild and I see almost no hope for change and genuine improvement.
The map below shows the hugely fragmented distribution of the cheetah today. This map, made by me from IUCN Red List data, will be out of date in ten years. The distribution will be a lot less. There is nothing more to say. Sorry the article is so short.
I have provided some links to more cheetah information on this page.
