I still remember the first time I saw the remarkable slow motion footage of a Cheetah in full sprint, captured at a startling 1200 frames per second. I stared in awe as the magnificent cats seemed to float as all four legs would lift off the ground. The footage was a ground breaking look at one of the wild’s most impressive accomplishments. With today being the United Nation’s World Wildlife Day, we thought it was important to not only help spread the world of the Asian elephant’s fight, but also, the cheetah.
According to the Cheetah Conservation Fund, in just over 100 years, the worldwide Cheetah population has dwindled from 100,000 to around just 10,000 today. That’s an alarming decline. Where Cheetahs once existed across all of Africa to eastern India, today, they are only found in 23% of their previous African range, and almost entirely extinct in their Asian Range.
The Cheetah Conservation Fund lists three main reasons for this surprising decline.
- Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation
- Human-wildlife conflict
- Illegal wildlife trade
While today is the official day to help raise awareness for the dire state of wildlife in today’s world, change does not happen in on day. Please visit the World Wildlife Day website and Facebook to learn about ways to help. Also, learn how to help the Cheetahs in their race for survival and follow the Cheetah Conservation Fund on Facebook and Twitter. Follow Cinematographer Gregory Wilson on his website and Vimeo.
