Asiatic cheetah on the brink

How is it that a species can be as few as 50 ? That is is the sad number of Asiatic cheetah estimated to be left in Iran. Conservation funding has been withdrawn leaving this extremely vulnerable animal at the mercy of human settlement with roads to cross that are certain suicide. Not very different from it's African cousin the Asiatic cheetah is a little smaller with a lighter coloured coat. It's the usual conflict story of farmers versus the wild animal that predates and kills livestock. Success has come in other countries where people have been educated about protecting their animals by keeping them safe at night and the revolutionary idea of keeping Maremma dogs that live with the herd. Why can't that be done for the Asiatic cheetah ? How much of a challenge will it be to save this amazing animal from extinction if the powers that be in Iran or elsewhere aren't motivated enough to help this animal survive. Inevitably it comes down to economics but once the cheetah has gone it's gone.

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