All language subtitles for The End Of The Big Cats s01e03 Cheetah.eng

(adventurous music)

- [Narrator] Africa
is still the world's

greatest reserve of
biodiversity, with many of

the planet's most
awe-inspiring natural habitats.

The tropical forests,
the great lakes,

the basins of the great rivers,

the immense valleys, the
savannas, the deserts.

Extraordinary ecosystems
that are home to

some of the most emblematic
species on planet Earth,

and a quarter of the
world's species of mammal.

Until recently, the
continent was the location

for countless film and
television documentaries

that explored the living
conditions and behavior

of all these animals in detail.

In many cases, the cameras
were able to penetrate

remote and inaccessible
areas to reveal

the secret life of wild animals.

But today, not a single
corner has been left

unconquered or unaffected
by human activity.

The population of almost
a billion inhabitants

doubles every 20 years,
exerting enormous pressure

on wildlife as
competition for land,

fresh water, and food increases.

Africa has 1,200
protected areas,

covering two million
square kilometers,

nine percent of the
continent's surface area.

These tiny islands of
wilderness are under

ever-greater pressure
from development

which threatens to
reduce them even further.

Outside the reserves,
large mammal populations

are plummeting,
victims of poaching

or simply unregulated
hunting for food.

But most of all, the expansion
of agricultural areas

and human settlements, a process

that has reduced wild
habitats drastically.

During the 20th century,
Africa was a killing ground

for many species due
to unregulated hunting

both by locals and Americas
and Europeans on safari.

Nothing was done to
stop the frenzied race

to gun down any animal
and take home its horns,

teeth, skin, or
head as a trophy.

(guns firing)

Today, big game hunting
is a strictly controlled,

exclusive activity,
regulated by governments,

which only allow a
limited number of animals

to be killed, to maintain
the right balance

between different
species on reserves.

But these controls have
been imposed too late,

after years of devastation.

Mankind is the
principle rival, enemy,

and danger to all other species,

the apex predator of
Africa, threatening

the very existence of
the great carnivores

of the animal kingdom, the lion,

the leopard, and the cheetah,

which are trapped in a
desperate fight for survival.

The big cats survive under
the shadow of this threat.

Their reign over the African
wilderness is almost over,

and their future looks bleak.

Is this the end of the big cats?

(dramatic music)

The populations of large
carnivores in Africa

have declined alarmingly
over recent decades.

The relentless destruction
of wilderness areas,

the effects of poaching,
and the hunting practices

of farmers and
herdsmen all increase

the likelihood that lions,
leopards, and cheetahs

will soon disappear
from most of their

natural habitats, to
survive only within

the confines of public
and private reserves

as part of controlled
breeding programs

that supply the
tourist industry.

This has set alarm bells
ringing for naturalists

across the world, who have
set up urgent campaigns.

- You need the governments
of all the other countries

to wake up and quickly
preserve some land,

so that the wild cats can
start flourishing there,

and then start settling down,
but you will have to do that.

Otherwise, just open
free roam, no, none.

It will, maybe 10 years and
it will be nothing left.

- If population growth
continues in the world

over the long run, there
won't be space left

for large predators,
I think it's,

if we as a human species
continue to reproduce

at the rate we are doing,
we will not be able to

save enough areas for wildlife.

That is the sad reality.

- The reality of it
is, is that if we don't

do something now, we
are going to lose them.

- [Narrator] One of the
species that has suffered

most persecution is the cheetah.

At the beginning of
the last century,

there were more than
100,000 cheetahs

spread over 44 countries
in Africa and Asia.

Today, only around 10,000
are estimated to survive

in a score of African countries.

Outside Africa, only a hundred
survive in the wild in Iran.

Africa is the true
home of the cheetah,

especially Namibia,
which has the largest

cheetah population in the world,

a quarter of the total
African population.

Some are fortune to
live in natural parks,

but the great majority
struggle to survive in hiding,

doing their best to remain
unnoticed inside ranches

dedicated to rearing livestock.

Believing them to represent
a threat to their livestock

operations, during the 80s
and 90s, Namibian farmers

killed more than half
the cheetah population,

leaving the species on
the verge of extinction.

The swift response of
consolation organizations

succeeded in putting an
end to the slaughter,

and began to rebuild cheetah
populations within the country.

Elsewhere, however, the
response came too late,

and cheetahs have
disappeared completely.

The cheetah, the fastest
animal on the planet,

a genetic anomaly that
holds a unique place

among the big cats, is condemned

to a desperate
race for survival.

(birds chirping and
insects buzzing)

Cheetahs are the
big cats that face

the most relentless persecution,

not because they are the
most dangerous or aggressive,

but because their
predatory behavior

makes them practically hated.

Cheetahs will hunt at any time.

While lions or leopards have
predictable hunting habits,

cheetahs are far more
active and anarchic.

Lions and leopards have
larger stomachs than cheetahs,

and tend to catch their
prey and then spend

two or three days eating it,

satisfying their
hunger for a time.

In contrast, cheetahs eat
far less at one sitting.

They prefer fresh
meat, and so hunt

more often than other
large predators.

According to popular belief,
when it makes a kill,

a cheetah drinks the
blood of its prey,

takes a few bites, and
abandons the remains,

going directly to hunt another.

This makes it an especially
frustrating killer,

hated by ranchers.

Given the chance
to hunt easy prey,

a cheetah will often kill
one animal after another.

Among farmers, its reputation
could not be worse.

- They do kill more often.

They tend to also
move through areas,

instead of just being,
staying in one area

for any length of time.

They obviously do damage.

They could do damage
like, for example,

jump into an area or
climb into a corral

and kill more than one, they
can kill 40 goats at a time.

So they do, but
the fear element,

that's the big difference here.

The fear element between
the fear the human has

for the cheetah is less,
because he's a lightweight,

if you want to put it that way.

Obviously he can hurt you,
but generally speaking

they're a little
bit more cowardly.

They would run off, and a human
is not that afraid of them.

So, if I were to look at human
wildlife conflict mitigation,

ways of protecting
livestock and getting people

to change their mindset,
it's easier for the cheetah,

a little less easier, bit
more difficult leopard,

very difficult for
hyena and lion.

- [Narrator] The cheetah lacks
the strength of the lion,

the lethal agility
of the leopard,

or the stamina and
iron jaws of the hyena,

and it will rarely
attack a human

unless it is attacked first.

A troublesome pest reputed
to be a serial killer,

but not particularly feared.

All this makes the cheetah an
easy target for irate farmers.

- Cheetah I think are
hugely persecuted by farmers

just because of their
natural behavior.

They very often hunt a
large number of prey species

in a very small amount of time.

They tend naturally not
to finish their food.

They like to eat
their meat fresh.

They fill their stomachs
up as quickly as they can,

and then they will
leave a carcass,

and so to a farmer who's
losing his livestock,

he's seeing a huge
amount of wastage.

- [Narrator] Many
farmers have no qualms

about hunting cheetahs,
poisoning them, or shooting them.

Conservation
organizations like Africat

have mobilized to
stop the killing.

- And here we have
some terrible traps.

I mean, this is the
classic gin trap.

Whether it's a small
one for a jackal,

or a big one for
maybe a leopard,

and a lion's are even
bigger, is you basically

tie it to a big tree or
wherever you can anchor it,

you set it like this,
close to the meat,

so there is it's
closed, so you set it,

you open it up next to the meat,

and when the animal actually
comes to eat this meat,

they trap in it,
and they get caught.

The biggest problem is, like
for instance this cheetah,

the toe was cut off,
so the toe came off,

and it survived, but it actually
died of hunger long term.

It even healed, because he
couldn't catch food so well.

This one, you want to see,

this is a very typical
one, hand made.

You connect it
with a mouse trap,

simple mouse trap to
a string, the meat.

You put a shotgun
bullet in there.

The animals pulls the
meat, and it sets it off,

and the shotgun bullet goes out

and blows the animal,
and sometimes misses him

and also wounds him,
and now you've got again

an aggressive animal.

- [Narrator] The
Africat foundation,

one of the best established
conservation groups

in Namibia runs a
small clinic and lab

where wounded animals
can be treated.

- We have a health
check, where the teeth

and the general
health of the animals

in captivity are done here.

This belongs to the
vets that help Africat.

This is where they
will basically come

and try and deal
with an emergency,

like a broken leg
or an emergency,

or a general health check, is
done in this little clinic.

So it's a very small clinic,
it's a very basic clinic.

It's got the basic stuff,
it's a clean place,

it's where vets can really work.

Most of this radio
collaring is done

pretty much in the
bush, but the animal

is darted very simply.

Quickly, not, no deep
dark drugs that will

keep them sleeping forever,

so that you can get
these collars on.

Collars are obviously
very expensive,

some more than others.

Cell phone collars,
satellite collars,

much more expensive.

- [Narrator] A significant
proportion of the budget

of these organizations is
spent on radio collars.

Not only are they
used to monitor

the rescued animal's movements,

they also help to avoid
further conflict with farmers,

who can identify the cheetah
as a protected animal.

The practice of fitting
problematic animals,

especially large
predators, with collars

is spreading to public
and private reserves

all over the continent.

The collar is a
monitoring device,

and also an effective
means for biologists

to identify individuals.

Until recently, the
collars were fitted

with a simple VHF transmitter,

which made it possible
to pick up a signal

within a radius of
five kilometers.

Today they may
incorporate satellite GPS,

so the animals whereabouts
can be tracked by computer.

They are not cheap.

Each costs in the
region of $4,000.

- So basically to start
at the very beginning

with a collar, that's
the type of collar

we're looking at
with that program.

And they have what
is called a VHF unit,

which is used to localize
the animal in the field,

where you take out an
antenna and a receiver

to be able to find that
animal on the ground.

On the back side, you
have the GPS unit.

So every collar has
this GPS unit which

at a preset schedule
communicates with the satellites.

For us, we do that
on the daily basis

so that we can locate pretty
much every released animal

on any given day, that we
can follow them closely

to see do they go
into hostile farmland,

do they stay on nature reserves,

what precisely do
they do, as you said,

monitoring the activity
as good as we can.

And most of the downloads
are here in Namibia

where the animal is.

And then you'll
see the whole path

that that animal covered
since we've released it.

And that's one of the fantastic
things about the collars

that you would find
very hard to follow

that animal on the
ground, to document

that type of behavior,
whereas the collar gives you

those data pretty
much automatically.

That's the area around,
just north of Sassusvlei,

the Nabid Desert, red sand
dunes, and here would be

the Naukluft Mountains
on the western side,

on the eastern side, sorry.

And as you zoom in to the
actual area he's using,

we have all these
red dots, which are

the individual
locations of the animal.

You have the red lines
connecting it to see

what path has it actually moved,

which direction is it
taking at the moment.

Very nice is that it shows
you in very much detail

to what type of habitat
do they actually go.

For example here, you
can see that the red dots

are right in the sand
dunes, which seems a bit

untypical for a cheetah,
but the collars have shown

that cheetahs regularly do that.

They are well able to use
true desert environments,

as long as there's prey
and water for them.

- [Narrator] Surprisingly,
the satellite shows

that the cheetah has
entered the Naukluft Park,

an arid region that
makes a demanding habitat

for a predator, but where
it's been able to settle,

thanks to the absence
of competition.

A second cheetah has been
released close to the first,

to find out whether this
case can be replicated.

In order to track
it via satellite,

the second cheetah's
radio collar

must be changed
for a GPS collar.

Matt and Kate are the
biologists in charge

of combing the area
to find the animal

and change her collar.

- I mean, cheetahs
can walk anywhere from

10 kilometers a day to
sometimes they'll walk

almost a hundred kilometers.

It all depends on
how comfortable they are in the area,

if there's water, if
there's a good food source,

if there's game herds
for them to follow.

(adventurous music)

(birds chattering)

- [Narrator] Life
here is never easy,

not even for the
birds, which gather

in a huge communal
nest in a lone tree.

Kate suspects that
we'll find the cheetah

under the shade of the
last tree before the dunes.

- We think possibly
maybe she's made a kill,

and she's keeping
it in the bush,

because we've
actually seen cheetahs

will take a carcass into a
bush, kick dirt over top of it,

and actually feed off of
it for a couple of days

if it's a very big meal.

So as long as she's not
chased off of her carcass,

she'll stay on it
for a couple of days,

and eat everything
until it's all gone.

So possibly that's
why she's here.

Otherwise, just maybe she
really likes this tree.

- [Man] Okay,
let's to go see it.

- So actually if
we go this side,

we'll have a little
bit of a better view.

- We don't want to
scare her, because then

when we come out (indistinct)

she's not here then
(indistinct) not good.

- [Narrator] At
last we find her,

in the shade of a large acacia.

She seems relaxed.

Our presence does
not bother her.

She has no idea that
within half an hour,

the Na'ankuse vets will arrive
to fire a dart into her,

immobilize her, and change
her collar for one with GPS.

Rudie Van Vuuren, Director
General of Na'ankuse,

will shoot the dart,
which must deliver

a correct dose of the drug to
avoid unwanted side effects.

- We now, we're going
to immobilize her,

and the previous time that
I immobilized this cheetah,

the dose wasn't high enough,
I underestimated her weight.

So this time I'm going to
give a little big higher dose,

'cause we have only one shot.

If we miss, we have trouble.

So we can't miss today.

(stone thunks)

Great, great.

(dart gun fires)

Okay, perfect,
absolutely perfect.

- [Narrator] After
being hit by the dart,

the cheetah begins
to feel the effects.

Rudie and Kate wait
for a few minutes

to ensure that the animal
is completely immobilized,

so they can safely approach her

and replace the old
collar with a new one.

From now on, her every
movement will be tracked

by satellite and logged
onto the computer.

(indistinct talking)

Once the GPS collar is fitted,
it's time to wake her up.

Doctor Van Vuuren administers
another injection,

but this time to
bring her round.

The stunned cheetah, her eyes
glazed, is a pitiful sight.

The effects of the drugs
will gradually wear off,

but there's always
a concern that

the tranquilizer can
have adverse affects,

as has occurred
with other cheetahs,

some of which have
even died due to

unexpected negative reactions.

The biologists stay close
by to make sure all is well.

Seeing her like this, we're
reminded of her vulnerability.

Cheetahs are wild animals
with extraordinary

physical capacities,
but this is no defense

against the threat
we pose to them.

30 years ago, the savanna
was a haven for wildlife

ruled by the big cats.

Some cheetahs have
been reintroduced,

but it's too soon to say
whether this has been a success.

Sooner or later,
urban settlements will cover this area.

It will mean the
end of the big cats

in this tiny corner of Africa.

(cheetah purring)

Despite the myths and legends
that paint the cheetah

as a serial killer of
sheep, goats, and camels,

it is far more docile and gentle

than the leopard or the lion.

This cheetah is habituated
by the presence of humans.

It purrs loudly and rubs itself

as a sign of its
affection and trust.

If there is one big cat
that can really behave

like a domestic cat or a
dog, it is the cheetah.

But allowing it to become tame

may not be in its
best interests.

Although they adapt
well to captivity,

they need to live
and hunt in freedom

if they're to keep
their animal instincts

and their personality alive.

- I would say
cheetahs are cowards.

They're very gentle, they have
the personalities of dogs,

and that counts against
them in every situation

because people will
domesticate them,

they become a beautiful pet.

You take them out of the wild.

They will never be
able to go back.

And also they accept captivity.

Give them two to three weeks,
they immediately snap, okay,

it's fine in here as long
as like a five-star hotel,

I get food and I'm in captivity,
I don't have predators.

Well, you don't
want that from cats.

(cheetah purring)

- [Narrator] They can be
tamed and domesticated,

but a wild animal's behavior
is never entirely predictable,

even to someone who has cared
for it since it was young,

and is able to read its
facial expression and posture.

Any action, an unexpected
caress or playful blow,

can be interpreted in a way

that we would never
have expected.

All felines, big or small,

retain the distinctive
traits of wild animals.

The caracal is a
feline that grows

to between 60 and 90
centimeters in length,

and lives in savannas and
arid regions of Africa,

the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia.

It is easily by its
tufted black ears

and its constant state of
alertness and mobility.

(caracal hisses)

It is a spectacularly
successful hunter

of birds, hares,
and other rodents,

using its exceptional
agility to catch its prey.

It is probably the wild cat

that most resembles
a domestic one.

In fact, in antiquity,
Egyptians and Persians

trained caracals
to hunt small game,

but it never lost its
taste for freedom.

The caracal has also been the
victim of intense persecution,

and it's more and more
common to find them

in sanctuaries or reserves,
where they're protected

from being shot or poisoned.

There is no trait more
characteristics of felines

than the desire for freedom,

and they can be very aggressive
in the pursuit of it.

(caracal hisses and growls)

(lion growls)

Among the big cats,
lion's behavior

is the easiest to interpret.

If they're irritated,
they retreat,

squatting on their haunches
in an awkward position.

Their tail begins to swish,
their ears are pulled back,

and their intense gaze
warns of imminent danger.

(lion growls)

In these circumstances, you're
advised to make a quick exit.

Leopards are more unpredictable,

but a prolonged stare is
always a sign of danger.

You should never
turn your back on it,

never stand underneath
it, never approach it,

instead letting it approach you,

and never enter its territory.

If you do any of these things,

you're putting
yourself in danger.

A leopard may attack
without warning,

especially if it feels
uncomfortable or stressed.

In contrast, a cheetah's
body language is clearer

and easier to understand.

If it avoids looking
at you directly

and appears to ignore you,
it is at its most relaxed.

If it also produces a
continuous purring sound,

it feels perfectly comfortable.

(cheetah purring)

When it gets annoyed, the
fur on the back of its neck

stands on end, and it
will squat on its haunches

with its forelegs extended,
showing its teeth,

and snorting as warning.

(cheetah snorts)

(cheetah snorts)

Felines are particular
sensitive to the emotions

of anyone approaching them.

(cheetah snorts)

If you're calm and
approach a cheetah

with a relaxed friendly
attitude, even talking to it,

it will respond positively.

If you appear
nervous, it will react

aggressively or in fear.

(cheetah snorts)

A cheetah can be just as
dangerous in captivity

when its become used
to contact with humans,

even if its been treated kindly,

and never shows
signs of aggression.

Even at play, it can do

a lot of damage with
its sharp claws.

- Cheetahs who have
non-retractable claws,

even if they just
want to play with you

in direct contact, a wrong move,

and the non-retractable
claws will do injury.

So it's always a very thin line

maintaining large
predators in captivity.

I do see that there
is a necessity to have

certain ambassador
animals in captivity,

if they are very well managed.

If there is security
measures in place,

if there's protocols in place,

and if there is experience there
to deal with those animals.

(birds chattering)

The Okonjima Reserve,
more than 20,000 hectares

of wilderness reclaimed
from livestock farming.

This is the headquarters
of the Africat Foundation,

which has rescued more
than a thousand carnivores

since 1993, among
them 700 cheetahs.

Andre Rousseau takes us to
visit the cheetahs of Okonjima.

- She came from,
she was an orphan,

her mother was shot on
a farm, and she came

with her brother when
they were babies.

So they were raised by people,

so they have no fear
of people whatsoever.

The only thing you break is that

she doesn't associate
people with food.

So even she doesn't
see people as a threat,

but she also doesn't see
them as a source of food.

Because otherwise if she saw
people as a source of food,

if you come here, she will come
up to you looking for food.

So this is just, she allows
you to get close to her,

but she doesn't come
and look for food,

which is a nice thing.

She can never relax.

She always needs to be alert,

what's going around.

If he kills a cheetah, it's
more food for him, so ...

- [Narrator] To our surprise,

the cheetah ignores
us completely.

Whenever we get closer,
it moves further away,

asserting its right to be alone.

We decide to look
for more cheetahs.

- No, no cheetah.

They're all baboons.

- [Narrator] The baboons
don't take long to appear.

This is a large troop
that moves en masse

to protect itself
from big cat attacks.

The leopards and
cheetahs in the vicinity

are certainly aware of them,

following at a short distance,

and waiting for one member of
the family to drop its guard

or become distracted and
so become an easy target.

Only 200 meters away,
we find three cheetahs,

acting as nonchalantly
as possible.

There are two males
and one female.

Cheetahs often join
forces to hunt.

They don't seem happy to
see us, and they soon leave.

We may have spoiled their
chances of catching a baboon.

The dominant male has
warned his companions

that with these
humans in the way,

they stand a better
chance elsewhere.

We follow them for
a couple of hours,

and watch as they
explore the territory

in search of signs of prey.

From time to time, they
spread out and regroup,

checking each other's position

and the distance
separating them,

always on the lookout,
sniffing and probing vegetation

and tracks, looking
for a fresh trail.

(calm music)

Suddenly, we lose
sign of all three.

A few minutes later, they appear
at the top of a small hill,

from where they can scan
the surrounding area.

(calm music)

Once again, the dominant
male makes the first move,

leading the others to
continue the search.

(birds calling)

They make their way
to a water hole,

but there is no
prey here, either.

The recent rains mean
that zebras and gazelles

come here to drink less often.

Not far away are a few ducks
that would make a great meal.

But it's time for a siesta,

with a few sidelong
glances at the ducks.

Perhaps one will be foolish
enough to get a little closer.

The cheetahs need to watch
their own backs, too.

A leopard, perfectly
camouflaged among the grass

surveys the scene,
waiting to see

whose attention wanders first.

The leopard will not tolerate
competition from the cheetahs,

and sooner or later will
try to eliminate them.

(ducks quacking)

Big cats are also protected
by conservation societies,

like the Na'ankuse Foundation,

which has a wildlife
sanctuary in central Namibia.

The team at Na'ankuse
includes biologists

and volunteers from
all over the world,

working for the survival of
orphaned or wounded animals,

victims of a constant conflict
between big cats and humans.

This cub was found
lost in the bush.

His mother and
siblings were shot,

and only he escaped
the massacre.

The experience has
marked him deeply.

He would soon have died if he
had not been rescued in time.

For the moment, he lives
in a small enclosure

of 800 square meters,
learning to adapt,

albeit with difficulty,
to life in captivity.

- I'd say, I don't think
we have in Namibia, no.

- [Narrator] The
biologist Florian Wiese

for the time being
living in captivity

is not a bad solution
for the little cheetah.

- The question is how you
handle predators in captivity.

It starts with the size of
enclose you provide them.

The larger the enclosure,
obviously, the less contact

you will have with
that predator,

because they're naturally
avoiding human contact.

For ambassador animals that
are orphaned, for example,

or injured, human contact
is often maintained

to keep them in a tame
or semi-tame state.

And that will reduce
stress, because the animal

will get habituated to
that type of contact.

And in cases for
releasable animals,

you want to minimize
human contact,

to a point where
you don't actually

have any contact
with that animal.

You want to provide them
with the largest possible

area in captivity so
they can still exercise

their ecology as
much as possible,

although in a limited
area, but also to not get

habituated and to not
experience stress.

- [Narrator] Looking
ahead, his future

will take one of
two possible paths,

to live in captivity, or to
be reintroduced into the wild.

The best outcome would
be a return to the wild,

but this could
also be dangerous.

Without preparation,
family, or companions,

he might die of hunger,
become easy prey

for a leopard, or
be shot by a hunter.

- If animals come
into captivity,

they're either injured,
orphaned, or die too old.

So you have a problem
that this animal

will not survive in the wild.

In that situation, we'll
put them in captivity,

and that animal will
stay in captivity

for the rest of their life.

Those animals we will
then use for forming,

for tours, for
people to see them,

for educations at farm,
farmer get togethers,

just to educate people.

But the main objective
is trying rather

put them back as
soon as you can,

because if you keep them
in the captivity too long,

you overstep a line of, are
they still scared of people?

Remember, we are the
biggest threat for them,

so if they're not scared of
us, somewhere down the line

they're going to get shot,
because somebody will think

this animal's got rabies or
it's going to catch my cattle

or my sheep or my goats, and
this animal will be killed.

- [Narrator] Sometimes,
to set an orphaned animal

free too soon is to
sign its death warrant,

so life in captivity
under the right conditions

can be the best option
if it is to survive.

- [Stuart] She's 14 years old.

- [Man] Really?

- [Narrator] Biologist
Stuart Monroe shows us

a 14-year-old cheetah
that has spent

many years in captivity and has
an especially docile nature.

Stuart feels a real sense of
admiration for the cheetah,

as did the ancient Egyptians,
who managed to train them

almost as if they were dogs.

- So as far back as
probably four or 500 BC,

these cats were
actually being tamed.

And this could be a
part of their downfall,

because they're so easily tamed.

They're also bred for
specific color patterns

which reduces the
genetic variability.

But the problem is
the cheetah's genetics

are at a critical point now,

because about 10,000 years
ago, at the last ice age,

all the other species
in the genus Acinonyx

that the cheetah belongs
to were wiped out.

The cheetah was the
only one of that genus

that actually survived,
'cause all the other cats

are part of the Panthera genus.

The lion is Panthera leo, the
leopard is Panthera pardus.

But these are not part
of that cat family.

They're a separate genetic line.

These are Acinonyx jubatus.

They're different, physically
and morphologically as well.

The claws do not fully retract,
like all the other cats.

All the other cats,
even your domestic cat,

has a little white sheath inside

that the claw retracts into,
but these guys don't have that.

That also helps them
with their running.

These are the fastest
land animal on the planet,

reaching speeds of over
100 kilometers an hour,

and they will reach that
in less than three seconds

from a standing start.

And their spine is
hyper-flexible in both directions.

When it's running, it'll
plant its front feet,

and the back feet will actually
go beyond the front feet,

and the spine will
be curved like that.

There are other
morphological traits that

actually put them closer
to dogs than cats.

There's various
internal differences

in the structure of the nose

and some of the internal organs

that puts them
quite close to dogs.

So some people, although
I'm not one of them,

say that these
are not true cats,

that they're somewhere
in between the true cat and the dog.

But they are cats.

They're just highly,
highly adapted

and highly evolved
to what they do.

They're built for speed,
not power, not strength.

They're designed to
run fast and that's it.

They're streamlined.

If you look at the
tail, it's actually

flattened along its
length, and the tail acts

as a rudder while they're
running and turning,

so for those high-speed turns

the tail actually helps them
turn to follow the game.

(adventurous music)

- [Narrator] Cheetahs are
extraordinary creatures,

but biological research
shows that 10,000 years ago

they almost became extinct,
probably due to competition

with other, more powerful
predators, or an epidemic.

The species was saved thanks
to a small group of survivors.

This is why all cheetahs
can be traced back

to a single genetic line.

It is worrying to
think that a second

and final extinction event
could be caused by humans,

the cheetah's new predator.

There are still
landscapes in Africa

where the romantic
adventurous history

of the continent
has been preserved.

Wildlife has an
enormous potential

to attract visitors and generate
income for local people.

Many small farms
that once subsisted

as livestock ranches
have been converted

into guest houses for tourists

who are drawn as much by the
landscape as the wildlife.

This has helped to prove
the value of wild animals,

including predators, as tourists

are always keen to
photograph them.

The Na'ankuse Foundation
has established

agreements with
farmers to create

sanctuaries open to tourists,

where rescued big cats
are rehabilitated,

an initiative that
brings benefits to all.

One of these sanctuaries
is home to a cheetah

famous for having killed
30 head of livestock

in only three years.

He's a large male with a highly
developed hunting instinct

who was the terror of local
farms before he was taken alive.

He's been named Spartacus,
after the legendary gladiator.

Matt Cleverley takes
a group of visitors

to see the notorious Spartacus

and the other three cheetahs
housed at the sanctuary.

The grounds spread over
more than 5,000 hectares,

surrounded by a security fence.

Spartacus has eaten
all the springboks

that once populated the
area, and Matt jokes

that he'll have to import more

so that Spartacus can
get some exercise.

- They're getting a little
lazy, the springbok,

they need some more
predators over there.

When we get a cat that
we want to release

into the wild, we
introduce it here first.

It's called a soft
release, and what that does

is it allows the animal
a chance to adapt

to this environment before
we release it into the wild.

It's just like when
you buy a little fish.

You don't put it in the tank,
you put it in a little bag,

and you allow it to adapt,

before you release
it into the tank.

And so we're going
the same thing here.

With other species like leopard,

they're very hardy animals,
you don't need to do this.

But with cheetahs we
found that there was

more successful releases
when we introduced them

into this beaumont
before releasing them.

It's an amazing
job, I love this.

This is called radio telemetry,

with my radio and my receiver,

and I'm going to see
where Spartacus is.

He's one of our more
aggressive cats.

You hear that beep?

So Spartacus is quite close.

He's very close.

Spartacus.

So you can see he's
a very slim animal.

That's how these guys are built.

But Spartacus is especially big.

You'll notice he's
got a very large head.

Now he'll calm down
if I don't move,

and he'll lay back down.

But you can see he's got
his tail tucked under

like an angry dog.

- [Narrator] Up close,
he's an impressive sight.

He's huge, covered in muscles,

and weighs more than 90 kilos.

- As you can see,
he's very healthy.

The neighboring farmer, and
he's killed over 25 calves.

Just stay close together.

- [Narrator] Most tourists
who come to Africa

are aware that wildlife
numbers are falling,

that there are fewer
elephants, lions,

leopards, and cheetahs,
and they believe

African governments should take
urgent action to save them,

but there is only
one way forward,

to set up sanctuaries
and reserves

that are financed by tourism.

Safaris generate income
for local people,

and also help
protect the animals.

Outside reserves and parks,
wildlife is in peril.

(adventurous music)

(wild dogs barking)

For wild dogs, leopards,
cheetahs, and lions,

the future looks
even more uncertain.

Over the last century,
the pressures exerted

by humans on big cats have
been huge, even cruel.

Wildlife seem to be an
inexhaustible natural resource,

one whose value
is unappreciated.

It seems incomprehensible
to us today

that people killed big cats
out of fear or ignorance.

Now there is far more awareness,
both locally and globally,

of the value of nature,
and efforts are underway

to mitigate the eternal conflict

between wild
predators and humans.

The cheetah is a symbol
of this awareness,

because its very existence is
a lucky accident of evolution.

To lose the cheetah
will be a tragedy.

It should continue
its race for survival.

(adventurous music)

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