Disappearing Spots A new study led by ZSL, Panthera and WCS conrms that the iconic cheetah is sprinting towards extinction 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 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 Near Vulnerable Endangered Critically Extinct in Extinct Threatened Endangered the Wild Consult the Map The cheetah has been driven out of 91% of its historic range in Africa and Asia <200 <50 The Saharan cheetah is Fewer than 50 critically critically endangered, with endangered Asiatic fewer than 200 individuals cheetahs remain, all remaining in Iran 6 countries More than half of the world's cheetahs live in one population stretching across six countries Historic Range Current Range 79% of all cheetah populations contain 100 or fewer individuals Cheetah Threats Illegal trade in cheetahs as Habitat loss and fragmentation exotic pets, particularly cubs Persecution and retaliatory Illegal poaching and tracking killing by livestock owners of cheetah skins and body parts Loss of prey due to over-hunting Deaths by vehicles on roads by people Beyond Borders Most cheetahs live outside of protected areas where they are often exposed to high levels of human-caused threats. Case Study: Zimbabwe Zimbabwe’s cheetah population has recently plummeted due to severe pressures on the big cat and its habitat outside of protected areas 1999 1,200 2015 1,000 170 Cheetah home ranges can exceed 1,000 km2 In 16 years, Zimbabwe lost 85% 85% of its cheetahs Photographs by Nick Garbutt and Christian Sperka Visit panthera.org/disappearing-spots to learn how you can save cheetahs.