Cheetahs and Humans
Cheetah and Humans Relationship
When it comes to felines, the Cheetah is one that many humans are fearful of. These animals have amazing strength and power. Yet that has also been a combination that makes humans fearful. There are stories that circulate about them being man eating hunters. The truth though is that they are only surviving on instinct. Humans continue to invade the homes of these animals.
In the past wearing the fur from a Cheetah was considered to be a very high form of social status. These fur coats sold for thousands of dollars. As a result of that the animals were heavily hunted for them. Today very few people wear such furs anymore so there isn’t much of a market left. The risk of being caught poaching isn’t worth taking in the eyes of many.
Due to the activities of humans, the Cheetah is an animal that may not be able to continue surviving. We continue to see the natural habitat for this animal getting smaller and smaller. Humans clear out the land to make room for homes, business, and even to plant various types of foods. This makes it harder for the Cheetah to find its natural food sources.
As a result they may turn to killing livestock and even family pets. This often angers many farmers and ranchers. As a result they continue to take part in the poaching of the Cheetah. However, by eliminating them we also see the rest of the animals that share the same ecosystem being wiped out too.
The delightful coat of the Cheetah is another reason why poaching occurs. Those coats can be sold for a very good sum of money on the black market. Even with some conservation efforts in place there is a low number of Cheetahs that remain in the wild today.
The fact that the Cheetah can be tamed is a concern for their well being as well. Even though it is illegal to sell Cheetah cubs people do it for the money. There are plenty of people out there that are impressed by the thought of owning such an exotic pet. However, you have to remember that instinctively they will always be wild. Rather is always a risk of being injured or killed.
In the wild the Cheetah has a life expectancy of 10 or 12 years. It isn’t much more in captivity (20 years) due to the fact that they don’t seem to do very well there. Even though that are born in captivity tend to suffer from anxiety and it affects breeding rates.
Not all humans are out to see the end of this animal though. In fact, without the aggressive conservation efforts of groups there would be no way this animal would still be on Earth. These programs have helped to educate people about the Cheetah, fight for their natural habitat to be preserved, and have lobbied for stricter laws against those that are involved in poaching.
They have also raised funds for sanctuaries and breeding programs. Even with such programs though it can be very hard to persuade people to care enough about them. The felines tend to get a bad reputation. Even though the Cheetah isn’t as aggressive as the lion or the tiger they are often lumped in with them.
Myths that the Cheetah is out there hunting for human meat to eat is also false. They have been known to attack but usually only when they have been provoked. Many experts believe that females who attack likely have young close by that they were trying to protect.