Cheetah - Acinonyx jubatus

The cheetah is one of Namibia's conserved mammals. Despite protection, numbers are on the decline as they lose their range to man. Cheetahs in Namibia are under severe pressure from the human population and are sometimes shot by ranchers. A number of projects aim to capture threatened cheetahs and relocate them or house them in reserves.

Easily tamed, and capable of running 96 to 120 km/h, cheetahs are the world’s fastest land animal. The ancient Sumerians, the Egyptian pharaohs and even William the Conqueror trained cheetahs to help them on hunting expeditions.
Once plentiful across most of Africa, Asia Minor, and India, the cheetah has been hunted to extinction in India, and the only significant populations left are in the game reserves of eastern and southwestern Africa.
In the wild, their most important prey are medium-sized hoofed animals such as gazelles, impala, and waterbuck. Having eaten their fill, cheetahs rarely return to the kill and will eat carrion only under dire circumstances.

Lodges and Camps in Namibia: Beach Lodge - Casa Piccolo - Mahangu Safari Lodge - Mazambala - Oase Guest House - Phantom Farmhouse - The Desert Homestead

Botswana Destinations: Chobe National Park

Zimbabwe Destinations: Victoria Falls

Animals of Namibia: African Wild Dog - African Elephant - Cheetah - Flamingos - Giraffe - Hartebeest - Hippo - Leopard - Lion - Red Lechwe - Roan Antelope - Sitatunga -Spotted Hyena - Springbok - Wildebeest - Zebra