Factors that led to extinction of Asiatic Cheetah in India

Once the Asiatic cheetah walked in great numbers across Asia, Arabia, and Africa. Now they live exclusively in Africa and these are also way different from the Asiatic cheetahs who have smaller but slender legs but are considered faster and more powerful.

Today, only a small population of Asiatic cheetahs exist in Iran which is much less.

Hunting and poaching

In India, going on shikar was considered one of the big hobbies of the Raja-Maharajas. In those times cheetahs were found mostly in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. It is believed that the person who hunted the last three Asiatic cheetahs in India was Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo who belonged to the princely state of Koriya. He hunted these cheetahs in 1947 wiping away their existence in India.

In 1952, the Asiatic cheetah was officially declared extinct from India.

Loss of habitat and grasslands

Another factor that has seriously affected the population of cheetahs in India is the decimation of the grasslands in the country. These are the real habitats of cheetahs. When these habitats were lost, the Indian cheetah tried to make a home in scrubs, arid and semi-arid open areas. When the cheetah became extinct India was a young democratic country with more stress on agriculture.

2/10:🏞️India was once home to the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus),a splendid predator freely roaming its vast plains. Tragically,due to multiple factors,their population dwindled,leading to extinction.Understanding "Project Cheetah" requires a look back at this past. pic.twitter.com/Mz31yK8wE8

— essgurumantra.com (@essgurumantra) July 25, 2023

In order to occupy more land for agriculture acres of grasslands were converted into agricultural land. This further led to the extinction of the Asiatic cheetah from India.

Domestication of cheetah

Although the last of the Asiatic cheetah walked the Indian soil during the late forties the process had started long back in the 12th century when the cheetahs were domesticated. Kings and noblemen used them to showcase their power and for that, they took them out of the wild and used them to hunt smaller animals or even for sports purposes.

The reason why it was easy to tame and pet the cheetah is that they are not as aggressive as a tiger or a lion and is rather a docile cat.