Catfolk Species Accounts: Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)- North Africa and Southwest Asia

Population Status
Global: Category 3(A)
Regional: Category 1(A)
IUCN: Endangered
Cheetahs were probably extirpated in the following countries during the mid- to late 1900s: Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Western Sahara, and Yemen (Wrogemann 1975, Kraus and Marker-Kraus 1991: see Figure 2). A small, isolated population may persist in Egypt’s Qatarra Depression (IUCN 1976, Kraus and Marker-Kraus 1991, Amman 1993).
De Smet (1989) estimates that “several dozen” cheetahs persist in the mountains of south-eastern Algeria, and it is not clear whether the population is isolated from that centered on the Aļr massif 500 km to the south in Niger. There are no records of cheetahs from the extreme south of Algeria (Kowalski and Rzebik-Kowalska 1991, K. de Smet in litt. 1993). Dragesco-Joffé (1993), based on his travels in the region, estimated the number of cheetahs remaining in Chad, Mali and Niger to be between 300 and 500 -- however, most of these animals are found in the Sub-Saharan dry woodland Sahel region (J. Newby pers. comm.). Millington and Anada (1991) estimated the number of cheetahs in Niger, concentrated in the Aļr and Termit desert regions and the Sahelian “W” National Park, at 200. In Iran, B. Dareshuri estimates the Iranian population to be fewer than 50, with the north-eastern province of Khorasan being the stronghold (Karami 1992). The population has declined steeply in recent years; there were said to be over 200 cheetahs in Iran in the mid-1970s (E. Firouz, pers. comm. 1974), although some experts consider this figure an over-estimate (P.Joslin, pers.comm.)
Various proposals have been put forward to re-stock depleted areas with cheetahs of Sub-Saharan stock (e.g., Israel, India, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), but conserving extant populations is the priority. In addition, reintroduction should not be seriously considered until genetic comparisons (Hemmer 1988) and environmental impact evaluations have been carried out. The advice of the IUCN/SSC Re-introduction Specialist Group should be obtained.