PANTHERA, TIMES LIVE, NAMIBIAN
Warnings came this week that the cheetah, the world's fastest land creature, may be on its way to rapid extinction. The slender big cat could disappear from the wild by 2030, according to NGO Panthera, which reported that cheetahs have been removed from 77% of their original territory in Africa.
The cheetah, which can reach speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour (74 miles per hour), needs vast open spaces with a low density of fellow carnivores to thrive, writes South Africa’s Times Live.
Unlike some of the other animals on this list, the cheetah is not a target for poachers, but it is the only big cat to adapt poorly in wildlife reserves as its natural habitat is increasingly wiped out. Many come to Africa to see the big cats in the wild. Losing them could devastate areas where this tourism is the sole source of income, says The Namibian.
With cheetahs as one of the more recent additions to the list, here's a look around the globe of others species at risk...
