Disappearing Spots A new study led by ZSL, Panthera and WCS confirms that the iconic cheetah is sprinting towards extinction More than half of the world's cheetahs live in one population stretching across six countries Fewer than 50 critically endangered Asiatic cheetahs remain, all in Iran <50 6 countries The Saharan cheetah is critically endangered, with fewer than 200 individuals remaining <200 Current Range Historic Range Consult the Map The cheetah has been driven out of 91% of its historic range in Africa and Asia Only 7,100 cheetahs are estimated to exist in the wild today* *An approximate, best available global population estimate for adult and adolescent cheetahs combined Persecution and retaliatory killing by livestock owners Illegal trade in cheetahs as exotic pets, particularly cubs Deaths by vehicles on roads Habitat loss and fragmentation Loss of prey due to over-hunting by people Cheetah Threats Most cheetahs live outside of protected areas where they are often exposed to high levels of human-caused threats. Beyond Borders Visit panthera.org/disappearing-spots to learn how you can save cheetahs Case Study: Zimbabwe 85% Zimbabwe’s cheetah population has recently plummeted due to severe pressures on the big cat and its habitat outside of protected areas 1,200 1999 170 2015 170 In 16 years, Zimbabwe lost 85% of its cheetahs Photographs by Nick Garbutt and Christian Sperka Cheetah home ranges can exceed 1,000 km 2 1,000 79% of all cheetah populations contain 100 or fewer individuals Due to recent declines, scientists are calling for the cheetah to be up-listed from Vulnerable to Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Least Concern Vulnerable Endangered Near Threatened Critically Endangered Extinct in the Wild Extinct Illegal poaching and trafficking of cheetah skins and body parts