Cheetahs

It's now the season when cheetahs like to chase after herds of deer and when wild turkeys gather into rafters and go cluck together.

Can leopards run as fast as cheetahs?

Cheetahs cannot climb trees.

The study in the journal PLOS Biology lists what the authors say are the world's 10 most charismatic animals: tigers, lions, elephants, giraffes, leopards, pandas, cheetahs, polar bears, gray wolves and gorillas. The common depiction of these animals in cartoons and movies and as toys has led to what the authors call "virtual populations" — people believe the animals are not at risk of extinction in the wild because they appear to be everywhere.

Since ancient times, people have regarded cheetahs with awe for their beauty, grace and unique ability to reach speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour.

Marker first started working with cheetahs in the early 1970s, when she ran a wildlife park in the state of Oregon.

At the time, nobody knew much about cheetahs.

The more people I asked, they said ‘When you find out something about cheetahs let us know. They don’t do well in captivity. They have a very short life span and we’re losing them throughout the ranges in the world.’ So that just made me fascinated and I wanted to know everything there was about them.

The center develops strategies to combat some of the biggest threats to cheetahs, including confrontations with livestock farmers.

Because cheetahs often prey on the cattle, sheep and goats that now graze on the African savannah, they are often killed by farmers.