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Short Communication
Once broadly distributed across north-western Africa (Nowell & Jackson, 1996), the Saharan or north-west African cheetah Acinonyx jubatus hecki is categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List (Belbachir, 2008) and occurs in only 9% of its former range (Fig. 1; IUCN SSC, 2012), with an estimated population of < 250 mature individuals (Belbachir, 2008). The Saharan cheetah differs morphologically from the sub-Saharan cheetah, the former being somewhat smaller, with shorter and paler fur (Dragesco-Joffé, 1993; Hunter & Barrett, 2011). Compared to cheetahs elsewhere, the skull of the Saharan subspecies is smaller (Saleh et al., 2001) and the face has few or no spots, with the black tear stripes often faint or absent, and tail rings muted (Dragesco-Joffé, 1993). Overall levels of genetic differentiation together with mitochondrial DNA monophyly support the distinctiveness of the north-east African subspecies (Charruau et al., 2011). Fig. 1
Historical and current range of the Saharan cheetah Acinonyx jubatus hecki in north-western Africa (modified from IUCN SSC, 2012, and Belbachir, 2008).
The Saharan cheetah persists only in Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger (Belbachir, 2008). It is known to be rare and threatened but there is a lack of reliable data on its population status and distribution (Caro, 2013). Surveys to confirm presence and numbers, based on camera trapping and scats, have been carried out only in Algeria (Busby et al., 2009; F. Belbachir, pers. comm.), and similar surveys elsewhere are a priority. However, it is difficult to gather baseline information on the Saharan cheetah because of its low density and elusive nature. Camera traps have been used successfully for detecting rare and cryptic species, including wild felids (e.g. Balme et al., 2009), but are used infrequently to study cheetahs because their large ranges make it difficult to find suitable sites to place cameras (e.g. southern Africa, Marnewick et al., 2008; Iran, Farhadinia et al., 2013; Algeria, F. Belbachir, pers. comm.). In northern Africa, cheetah densities are estimated to be 0.25-1.0 per 1,000 km2(IUCN SSC, 2012), making detection difficult.
The Saharan cheetah has been recorded in the Sahelo-Saharan areas of north and central Niger (Belbachir, 2008), including the Air mountains (Giazzi, 1996). A strategic planning exercise identified Niger as potentially...