Cheetahs
Threats to Cheetahs
Climate Change
Habitat Loss
Poaching
Exotic Pet Trade
"Because cheetahs could not easily breed in captivity, individuals were taken from the wild to support the demand. The ancient pet trade diminished wild cheetah populations, especially in Asia." - Cheetah.org: Illegal Pet Trade
"Fewer than 7,500 cheetahs remain in the wild worldwide. In the Horn of Africa, the population of adult and adolescent cheetahs is estimated to be less than 500. Here, the poaching of cheetah cubs to meet demand for illegal pets poses a serious threat to the species and is exacerbated by human wildlife conflict from predation on pastoralists livestock." - Cheetah.org: Illegal Pet Trade
"... an estimated 300 cheetah cubs a year are taken from the wild, mainly from the Horn of Africa, to be illegally sold as pets, mainly on the Arabian Peninsula." - Cheetah.org: Illegal Pet Trade
"... Rural farmers sometimes take revenge on cheetahs that prey on livestock by poaching their young and selling them to traffickers. ..."
Perhaps the saddest part is that "... cheetahs do not make good pets. They need specialized diets, expensive veterinary care, and they require huge amounts of space to run and exercise in order to stay healthy. Cheetahs shed copious amounts of hair, and their urine and feces have a strong smell, it makes co-existing indoors impossible. Unlike domestic cats, cheetahs cannot be trained to use a litter box.
...
While in transit, the cubs commonly suffer from abuse, trauma, malnutrition and dehydration. CCF believes that three out of every four cubs taken to become pets do not survive the journey. Of those that initially survive, the majority will not live more than two years." - Cheetah.org: Illegal Pet Trade