Cooling down a wild cheetah waiting to get collared

5 years ago
58

This wild cheetah was captured for research purpose; it will be sedated, examined, measured, weighed and it will receive a radio-collar, so that it can be tracked. Afterwards, the animals receives an "antidote" to make it wake up, and then it is released back into the wild. But sometimes the animal spends a few hours in the trap cage, from the moment it entered it, which is usually at night, to when it's found, and the veterinarian is there and ready. In order for the animal not to overheat on a hot Summer day, or get dehydrated, it needs to get water, but it won't drink it if you offer it, so the only option is to pour water over the animal, and then let it lick its own fur. The animal is not angry because of the water, but because it is wild, and therefore doesn't like or trust humans, so it's not happy about the whole situation, but once it stops growling, it proceeds to lick the water dripping from its nose.
The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), is native to Africa and Asia, although it has been extirpated from nearly all of its Asian range. They could once be found from the shores of the Mediterranean and the Arabian Peninsula, west through central India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and north to the northern shores of the Aral and Caspian Seas, but nowadays are limited to the central deserts of Iran. Although cheetahs still occur in several African countries, they now only occupy 10% of their historic range.
Five subspecies are recognized: Acinonyx jubatus hecki, in Northwest Africa; Acinonyx jubatus earsoni, in East Africa; Acinonyx jubatus jubatus, in Southern Africa; Acinonyx jubatus soemmerringi, in Northeast Africa; and Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, from Northern Africa to central India.
Cheetahs are classified as Vulnerable, although the subspecies Acinonyx jubatus venaticus and Acinonyx jubatus heckii are listed as Critically Endangered.

Loading 1 comment...