An Asiatic cheetah is one of the rarest animals today, because of its status of being critically endangered.
One of the fastest mammals alive, this animal was once prevalent on the Indian subcontinent. Its range extended throughout India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. But today, if one has to be lucky enough to see an Asiatic cheetah, he has to go to remote areas in Eastern Iran. Hence, the animal is now also known as the Iranian cheetah. Studies show that presently there are only less than 50 cheetahs in the wild.
One of the reasons for the disappearance of Asiatic cheetahs is thought to be the absence of preferred preys. We know for a fact that when small animals in an area are over-hunted, it affects the larger ones too.
Apart from this, cheetahs are poached in large numbers. In Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, it was hunting that brought the cheetah population to a close.
Picture credit: google