North Africa by Ariana and Claire (Rare cheetah caught on camera trap in Sahara)

Rare cheetah caught on camera trap in Sahara from telegraph.co.uk

Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/4786794/Rare-cheetah-caught-on-camera-trap-in-Sahara.html

 

By Ariana and Claire M.

 

Pictures of a rare North African/Saharan cheetah were captured using a camera trap in Algeria this week. There are less than 250of these cheetahs and people are saying that this is an incredibly rare and exclusive experience. These are the first photos of the North African cheetah and provide critical information to scientists. Four cats are being studied in this survey. So far scientists have gotten pictures of each of the four cheetahs. Each cat has a different pattern on his or her coats that now are being studied very closely.

Researchers are very excited that they have this new information on the cheetahs that are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Researcher Sarah Durant of the Zoological Society of London, who co-led the project, says, "Virtually nothing is known about cheetahs across the region, until now."