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Showing posts from July, 2021

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Big Cats -The Cheetah

Him and Her - Cheetahs  -Image courtesy of Aisha - Top 6 Conservation Tours, Cape Town   Poor Cheetahs. They don’t even have their own special day yet they are among the most threatened of the big cats. Like Lions, they were once widespread throughout the world, including Europe and America, but there are now only approximately 8000 left and they are only found in small pockets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. They have undergone a 90% decline since the 1900’s and they have already become extinct in 18 countries . There are several reasons for this.   Why Cheetahs are more vulnerable than other big cats   While Cheetahs are the fastest animal on earth and are well equipped for speed and stealth, they also have their weaknesses. Unlike Lions, Cheetah females raise their young alone and must leave the den to hunt. This means that their cubs often fall prey to other predators with only about 10% surviving more than three months. Cheetahs are also ill -equipped for fighting an

Big Cats - Lions

World Lion Day is on August 10th 2021   -Image by staticFlikr.com   Did you know Lions can sleep up to 20 hours a day? Lions are the second largest of the big cats after Tigers but are generally regarded as the king of the beasts because of their distinctive mane and roar. Once widespread throughout Africa, Europe and as far away as Siberia, Alaska and Mexico, Lions are now found mainly in central and southern Africa and one national park in India. Since the 1980s their numbers have fallen from around 100,000 to around 30,000 , with only around 400 left in West Africa. Since 2017 only two species are recognised -the African Lion (Panthera leo leo) found in India and Western Africa  and (Panthera leo melanochaita) which lives in eastern and southern Africa. In 2015 there were only 1400 Panthera Leo Leo left. For interesting facts about Lions see here or here .  When humans move into Lion Habitat The main threats to Lions are habitat loss and loss of prey due to human encroach