A group of experts have appealed to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to reclassify the status of the Northeast African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii) to ‘endangered’ from ‘vulnerable’.
About Northeast African Cheetah:
- It is found in the Horn of Africa.
- It is also known as the Sudan cheetah. This subspecies is more closely related to the Southern African cheetah than to Saharan cheetah populations.
- The cheetah’s long tail helps it keep its balance when changing direction mid-chase. Cheetahs can make even 90-degree turns with ease while sprinting.
- Appearance: Like it’s relative to the south in East Africa, the Northeast African cheetah is fairly large. Physically, it most resembles the East African cheetah.
- Distribution: Contemporary records are known in South Sudan and Ethiopia. These animals live in wide open lands, grasslands, semi-arid areas, and other open habitats where prey is abundant such as in the East Sudanian Savanna.
- Threat: The subspecies’ cubs are being heavily trafficked across the Red Sea to Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
- Conservation status
- IUCN: Vulnerable