Cheetahs

Why in news?

• Mysuru zoo has become the second Indian zoo to house the African cheetah, as it managed to get one male and two females from a cheetah conservation centre in South Africa.
• The Cheetahs were obtained in an animal-exchange programme, which was the country’s first international animal exchange post-COVID-19.

African Cheetah

• The Southeast African cheetah is the nominate cheetah subspecies native to East and Southern Africa.
• The Southern African cheetah lives mainly in the lowland areas and deserts of the Kalahari, the savannahs of Okavango Delta, and the grasslands of the Transvaal region in South Africa.
• Southern cheetah found in in Southern and East African countries including Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
• Northwest African cheetah found in Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. IUCN status: Critically Endangered

Asiatic Cheetah

• The Asiatic cheetah also known as Iranian or Persian cheetah, is a Critically Endangered cheetah subspecies surviving today only in Iran.
• It once occurred from the Arabian Peninsula and Caspian region, Pakistan and India.
  • Cheetahs went extinct from India in the 20th century.
• The cheetah thrives in open lands, small plains, semi-desert areas, and other open habitats where prey is available.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding “African and Asian Cheetah”:
1.African Cheetahs are endemic to Namibia and South Africa.
2.Asiatic Cheetahs are critically endangered.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2 
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to prelims question