Rare photos capture reclusive Saharan cheetah
Rare images of the incredibly reclusive Saharan cheetah have been captured for the first time by field scientists working in Algeria.
Camera traps were set up over 2,800 square kilometres of the central Sahara in an effort to photograph the critically endangered big cat.
Experts estimate the adult cheetah population, which is small and sporadically spread across northern and western Africa, at around 250 at most.
At least four different cheetahs were identified from their spot patterns in the study, carried out by scientists from the Algeria’s Office du Parc National de l’Ahaggar and the Zoological Society of London.
“This is an incredibly rare and elusive subspecies of cheetah and current population estimates are based on guesswork,” said Farid Belbachir who led the project.
“This study is helping us to turn a corner in our understanding, providing us with information about population numbers, movement and ecology.”
The project also involves working with the local Tuareg nomadic population to identify threats to the cheetah and the fragile ecological system that supports it.
Cheetah numbers have dwindled because their prey base of antelopes and gazelles is also in decline. That has brought the animals into conflict with livestock farmers who occasionally shoot the animals for preying on their herds.