Asiatic Cheetah

Cheetahs are pale yellow with white underbellies, covered all over with small round black spots. They are readily distinguished from theispotted relatives by their “tear lines”: heavy black lines extending fromthe inner corner of each eye to the outer corner of the mouth. The cheetah weighs around 45-65 (kg) on average and their total body length is 1100-1600 (mm). The cheetah is built for speed, with a deep chest, wasp waist, and proportionately longer limbs than the other big cats. Flexion of the elongated spine has been measured as increasing the cheetah’s stride length by 11% at speeds of 56 kph. The canines are small relative to other felids: a reduction in the size of roots of the upper canines allows a larger nasal aperture for increased air intake, which is critical for allowing the cheetah to recover from its sprint while it suffocates its prey by throttling it. Its claws remain exposed, lacking the skin sheaths found in most other felids, and thus provide additional traction like a sprinter’s cleats. The foot shows several other modifications: the digital pads and also the metacarpal pad are extremely hard and pointed at the front, possibly as an adaption to sudden braking, and the palmar pads bear a pair of longitudinal ridges instead of the more usual slight depressions — the functional equivalent of tire treads, serving as anti-skid devices. The prominent dew claws are used as hooks to trip up fast-running prey. Its long tail helps the cheetah’s balance as it swerves during a chase. Finally, the cheetah has enlarged bronchi, lungs, heart and adrenals.A captive cheetah was accurately clocked at 112 kph over a short distance. In the wild, out of 78 chases measured and timed by G. Frame (Frame and Frame 1981: 181), the top speed was 87 kph. Antelopes, the main prey of cheetah, reach top speeds of 80-97 kph, so peak speeds reached at some portion of a cheetah’s sprint probably do exceed the oft-quoted, but seldom documented, 110 kph. Cheetah sprints rarely last longer than 200-300 m, while most antelope can run much further. Heat builds up rapidly during a sprint, and cheetahs have not evolved the evaporative heat release mechanisms of gazelles and goats, even though their energetic cost of running is equivalent. Despite its refinements, the cheetah, like the other cats, is a sprinter rather than a courser. Once the kill has been made the cheetah however will often pause to regain its strength before eating – at this time the cheetah itself is vulnerable and can often lose its prey to packs of hyenas or to other scavengers.

There is little information available on the ecology of Asiatic cheetahs. Gazelles are generally indicated as the main prey species. In India, cheetahs took primarily blackbuck antelopes and chinkara gazelles, but were also known to attack nilgai antelope and domestic goats and sheep. In Turkmenistan, cheetahs primarily took goitered gazelles, and their disappearance from this area is strongly associated with the decline of gazelles in the mid-1900s. In Iran, cheetahs outside protected areas with gazelle populations are reported to prey mainly on hares A greater degree of sociality has been observed among cheetahs than for most felids, with the exception of the lion. The cheetah will hunt alone or in family groups, usually comprising of adult male relatives – such groups usually have much larger territories than the lone female hunter who must stay close to here young. Average litter size is 3-5 cubs and average life span is 12-14 years (all above information from Big Cats Online and IUCN’s Cats Specialist Group ).

It was long thought that Asiatic cheetahs were extinct in the Indian sub-continent. However there is increasing evidence that there are still few cheetahs found in south western Baluchistan along the Iranian border. During this decade there have been some sightings in Kharan district of Baluchistan and on some ocassions fresh tracks have been seen. Recently, four cheetah skins believed to be of the Asiatic cheetah have materialized from Baluchistan (Nautra magazine: WWF-Pakistan). One was shot two years ago (1996-97) 50 km from the Iranian border, south of Chagai, and the skin was presented to an army general. Skins said to come from Balochistan have been found in Islamabad markets,` but they could have come from Iran, or even Africa. However, biological studies have shown that these are infact Asiatic Cheetahs. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence indicates that local people in Makran are familiar with the cheetah, and that there is adequate prey (Chinkara gazelle and Goitered gazelle) there. It must be noted that Asiatic cheetahs are found in relatively higher numbers in Iran, where they were widespread during the start of this century and spread right across the Indian Subcontinent, from Pakistan in the west to the east of India. In India, the Moghul Emperor, Akbar, is reputed to have collected some 9,000 animals in his lifetime. The animals were better captured adult for this purpose, after having learned to hunt from their mother. By the early 1900s, however, Indian cheetahs had become so scarce that imports of African animals were required to sustain the princes’ stables, as there was no success breeding them in captivity . In Iran they are found mainly in the central shrub steppe, a broad zone of bush and grassland where most of Iran’s cities are located. In Iran, B. Dareshuri estimates the Iranian population to be fewer than 50, with the north-eastern province of Khorasan being the stronghold. The population has declined steeply in recent years; there were said to be over 200 cheetahs in Iran in the mid-1970s. As it is one of the most endangered cat specie in the world, it is hoped that they will be fully protected in Pakistan, if there is a small population in Baluchistan. Currently, there is an exploratory expedition going to south western Balushistan to find more evidence about their occurance. IUCN’s Cats Specialist Group and WWF-Pakistan are cooperating ( all above information from IUCN’s Cats Specialist Group, Natura Magazine WWF-Pakistan and “Mammals of Pakistan”, by T.J Roberts. Additional distribution information from National Geographic Magazine, Dec 1999).

Sightings:1998: Asiatic cheetah skins confiscated. Illeged to have come from Baluchistan.

1999-2000: IUCN’s Asiatic cheetah survey under way to find cheetah population in Baluchistan

2000-2001: IUCN’s Asiatic cheetah survey finds no evidence of Asiatic Cheetah south of Siahan Range in Baluchistan. First phase completed.