International Cheetah Day

International Cheetah Day

Why in News?

  • Recently, International Cheetah Day was celebrated on 4th December every year since 2010.

Highlights

  • The cheetah is one of the oldest of the big cat species, with ancestors that can be traced back more than five million years to the Miocene era.
  • The cheetah is also the world’s fastest land mammal that lives in Africa and Asia.
  • A majority of the world’s 7,000 cheetahs live in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.
  • Namibia has the world’s largest population of cheetahs.
  • The cheetah is the only large carnivore that got completely wiped out from India, mainly due to over-hunting and habitat loss.
  • Eight Cheetahs have been recently reintroduced in India from Namibia to Kuno National Park.
  • Dr. Laurie Marker designated the day as International Cheetah Day in remembrance of Khayam, a cheetah she raised from a cub at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon.
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