**1. Introduction**

The cheetah, *Acinonyx jubatus*, is one of the oldest big cat species, with ancestors that can be traced back more than five million years to the Middle Pliocene era [1–3]. The cheetah is also the world's fastest land mammal, an icon of nature, and the most unique of the 41 species of cats [4]. The hunting style of the cheetah—to swiftly pursue prey over a moderate distance—necessitates some morphological and physiological specializations for both prey-killing and locomotion [5].

As an animal built for speed, all parts of its body have evolved for precision and agility. Because of its small, aerodynamic head, lean body, long legs, flexible backbone and tail that works like a boat's rudder, the cheetah can change direction in a split second and reach speeds of up to 113 km/h while turning 180° [6–8]. With each stride, the cheetah covers 6 m with just one foot touching the ground at a time; at two points in the stride, all four feet are in the air. The cheetah's flexible spine acts like a spring as it doubles up with feet under its body to clench the earth with powerful, semi-non-retractable claws, thrusting it forward with great speed

and maximum distance. The cheetah is not only the fastest running land mammal; it is also known for its rapid acceleration, as it can go from zero to 96 km/h in just 3 s [6].

With less than 7100 adults and adolescents remaining [9], the cheetah is one of the most endangered big cat species. Cheetah numbers have declined primarily due to increased human-wildlife conflict, loss of habitat and loss of prey, and the illegal wildlife trade. In addition to these threats, cheetahs lack genetic variation due to a historic population bottleneck, approximately 12,000 years ago, which makes the cheetah more vulnerable to ecological and environmental changes [10–12].

Today, nearly 80% of the remaining world's cheetahs are found outside of protected areas living near rural livestock farming communities [9]. Protected areas, such as wildlife reserves or national parks typically have higher densities of larger or more aggressive predator species that can outcompete cheetahs, making it difficult for cheetahs to survive. Despite being one of the best hunter species on the savanna, cheetahs often lose their kills to larger predators. In protected areas, cheetahs have been found to lose 10–15% of their kills to lions (*Panthera leo*), leopards (*Panthera pardus*), jackals (*Canis aureus*), and hyenas (*Hyaenidae*) [13, 14]. In addition to hunting pressures, cheetahs face direct threats by larger carnivores that may try to kill an adult cheetah or its young, to reduce competition for prey and territory [13–17].

Living outside protected areas prevents threats by other predators but puts the cheetah in direct conflict with commercial and subsistence livestock farmers [18, 19]. These farmers often perceive cheetahs to be a threat to their livestock, which leads into economic and emotional issues. The Rangewide Cheetah and Wild Dog program, an IUCN Cat Specialist endorsed program, brings together conservation organizations across the cheetah's range to work on a more sustainable future for cheetahs and farmers. Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB), and the Ruaha Carnivore Project work with other stakeholders, such as community members, local and national governments, conservancies and scientists to develop and implement action plans for cheetah conservation throughout its range [9, 20–23].

As human populations grow, so do the chances of conflict with cheetahs. Simultaneously, available rangeland will shrink, along with the wild prey base, hastening the decline of the cheetah [24, 25]. If the observed trends of decline among cheetah population continues, the world's fastest land mammal could become extinct within the next 15–20 years [26].
