IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Blais, Y.; Drouilly, M.; Ipavec, A.; Henschel, P.; Durant, S.M. | |
| Historical and current distributions of cheetah in Northwest Africa | |
| 2023 Cat News (77): 28-33 | |
The Northwest African cheetah _Acinonyx jubatus hecki_ is a subspecies of the African cheetah, present in five known or suspected subpopulations across western, central and northern Africa. Only few surveys have targeted this large African carnivore despite its IUCN Red List status of Critically Endangered. The present study aims to present the historical and current distributions of this subspecies in West Africa, south of Algeria and the Western Sahara region from 1890 to 2021. We collated historical and recent records of presence from written records, museums and personal communications. Contrary to leopards and lions, we found very few historical records of cheetahs in the region. Our results confirm that cheetahs disappeared from a large portion of their historical range, starting in the West and moving towards the East. Records from the last two decades match with the last remaining cheetah subpopulations in the study area and confirm their isolation from one another. We highlight the crucial role that protected areas play in hosting the last individuals of_ Acinonyx jubatus hecki_ in West Africa. Data on historical distribution improve understanding of the patterns of species decline and can be used to inform population recovery |
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