Hobbies And Interests
Grasslands and Savannahs
Cheetahs are known as grassland dwellers. They live in vast national parks in East Africa including the Serengeti and Masai Mara. Their fur allows them to easily hide in grass so they can stalk and attack prey from a closer distance. Grasslands are home to many species of cheetahs' prey including impalas, gazelles and wildebeests.
Semi-Arid Deserts
The desert cheetah is a subspecies that is found around the Sahara and northwest Africa. They are critically endangered with a population of only a few hundred. They can go three to four days without drinking and thus can survive in desert areas as long as there is accessible prey.
Farmlands
Cheetahs are adapting to expanding farmlands throughout their habitats by hunting livestock. The savannahs and grasslands that formerly covered vast expanses of wild land are increasingly shrinking due to the encroachment of farmlands. Livestock provide opportunities for prey, but this puts cheetahs in conflict with humans. Nonetheless, cheetahs continue to survive among scattered islands of grasslands surrounded by farms.
Human Effect
The largest threat to cheetahs is not poachers hunting for fur but farmers protecting their livestock. Cattle and sheep farms are the dominant farm animals, particularly in Namibia, the country with the largest cheetah population in the world. Various organizations are working to mitigate the killing of cheetahs by helping farmers improve their livestock practices, educating local communities and developing long-term conservation plans.