Cheetahs are rare

We awoke very early and drove slowly towards No 16 junction. My wife suddenly said, “Look, cheetah up a tree!” “Wow!” I could almost not believe it, and immediately switched off the vehicle engine. Three cheetahs were up a tree, and then crossed the road in front of us.

To assist those who hope to have a cheetah sighting: 1) Travel very slowly when looking for wildlife, especially if you know cheetah could be in the area of searching 2) Switch off the vehicle engine as soon as possible. 3) Try to ensure that the cheetahs have sufficient space to behave naturally  4) Be as quiet as possible as Cheetah are extremely sensitive to noise as well 5) Just pray they stay.

A cheetah sighting in the Nairobi National Park is a very rare event. It would be very sad if cheetahs are no longer resident in the Nairobi National Park. It is hoped that the Kenya Wildlife Services will find a way of re-introducing other cheetahs into the park.

 At the start of the 20th century, the global population was estimated at 100,000 in the wild. Sadly the population is now reduced to as few as 6,600 cheetahs in all of Africa.

Kenya is critical to the survival of cheetahs in the wild, with between 800 and 1,200 adult cheetahs remain in Kenya, with approximately 80 per cent of the cheetah outside protected areas. The greatest threat for the remaining cheetahs is the rapid change of land use and their habitats, therefore, being reduced.

The developments of mankind have indeed “cheated the cheetahs” of land they used to roam. We hope and pray that there will be a high-level Kenyan government priority to save them, so that their future will not be going, going, gone! Rather, that their future will be about surviving and thriving.

 For more information on the national parks link to the following website www.kws.go.ke