Cheetah in the Hoggar

[ursula]

two years ago we made camp in a beautyful place between Djanet and Erg Tihodaine.
Later I saw this footprints crossing the camp

[ursula]

[Walkabout]

Originally Posted by Gottoride

How fascinating! These rock hyrax are the closest living genetic relatives to elephants

Interesting! Truly a case of "little and large".
Great photos ladies and gentlemen.

[Jim Franklin]

It's good new that they are still about, the Saharan Cheetah that is, but I do wonder if they truly are a sub-species or ones from the south moving North due to the pressures of man and the lack of range available to them..Life has a habit of finding a way if it possibly can..despite what humans arrogantly think..I am pleased to say.

[Chris Scott]

Don't know the answer to that but it's hard to think they would have crossed 100s of km the desert northwards from the Aïr mountains in Niger (the mostly likely nearest southern habitat) to somewhere as comparatively lean as the Immidir or Tassili.

According to this - link in an earlier post - the Saharan cheetah (from Termit - SE of Aïr) 'is very rare, and one of the most specialized and threatened in Africa.'
And Jose Brito's link has more detail along the same lines.

Ch

[andrasz]

Bit off topic, but it is so refreshing to finally see a thread on why we are going to the Sahara in the first place after all those on kidnappings, security and the like...

[ktm990]

Thanks for the picture of the prints.
I personnaly have a video of cheetah killed in the Hoggar from a friend touareg.

[Chris Scott]

I found these stills from old French (1932, 1921) films based on a popular novel L’Atlantide. Most recently remade in 1992, it's a Saharan take on Rider Haggard's She.
Somewhere in the Hoggar Antinea, a man-eating Tuareg queen, abducts two French officers for her incomplete ‘harem’. A cheetah seems to feature as a regular prop.

Ch

[Chris Scott]

BBC iPlayer - Africa: Sahara

Attenborough but no cheetahs

[priffe]

[andrasz]

Cheat ! That's a Leopard and it's Namibia...
Absolutely lovely photo though

[priffe]

Hehe - - you got me