# Talk:Asiatic cheetah

BhagyaMani It came in the news last year that a cheetah was killed in the Dera Bugti District of Balochistan, Pakistan for attacking goats. Leo1pard (talk) 07:18, 23 August 2025 (UTC)

And what makes you think that this "news" is reliable and that the newspaper is ? BhagyaMani (talk) 08:12, 23 August 2025 (UTC)
Because multiple reports from June 2024 say the same thing: https://pakeconet.com.pk/news/120473/rare-asiatic-cheetah-killed-by-villagers-in-balochistans-dera-bugti, https://thetruthinternational.com/endangered-asiatic-cheetah-killed-by-villagers-in-balochistan/
Repeating claims is NOT evidence – BhagyaMani (talk) 12:22, 23 August 2025 (UTC)
Or what about different reports with different claims? This one is from January 2020, and it is from Upper Dir District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Leo1pard (talk) 13:13, 23 August 2025 (UTC)
no evidence that animal was correctly identified – BhagyaMani (talk) 13:23, 23 August 2025 (UTC)
If it was a single report, then it wouldn't have been reliable, but also, the rosettes shown in this video from June 2024 are more consistent with the cheetah than the leopard.
Vdo is too blurred to id anything with confidence – BhagyaMani (talk) 12:22, 23 August 2025 (UTC)
The reports say that the incident was captured on video, sparking outrage and sorrow on social media, but I'll have to search further. It's interesting, nevertheless. Leo1pard (talk) 13:13, 23 August 2025 (UTC)
It appears to be a leopard. Leo1pard (talk) 08:36, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
In this video from December 2020, the rosettes are more consistent with the leopard than the cheetah. Leo1pard (talk) 11:54, 23 August 2025 (UTC)
Jts1882 In that case, I'll have to search further to see if reports of cheetahs in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan exist with photographic evidence. Leo1pard (talk) 07:29, 25 August 2025 (UTC); edited 07:31, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
@BhagyaMani and Jts1882: Divyabhanusinh, author of The end of a trail: The cheetah in India, said on May 3, 2023 that the last cheetah in the Indian subcontinent was seen in 1997 in Balochistan province of Pakistan and not in 1947 in Central India, as is widely believed. He added that the skin of another individual was also recovered at the time from Islamabad, the federal capital of Pakistan.

I added 'allegedly' to the 1997 last sighting of a cheetah, because Husain (2001) reported to have traveled ~4100 km in autumn 2000 in southern Baluchistan and conducted 80 interviews with local people including hunters, herders and village elders. These respondents recounted last sightings of cheetah in this region dating back 20-35 years. That would be latest sightings in the early 1980s. I don't know whether this report is still available for download somewhere. It is grey literature, which is why I never bothered to add this as reference to this page. – BhagyaMani (talk) 15:36, 2 September 2025 (UTC)
@BhagyaMani and Jts1882: In recent months, in addition to South Khorasan province, cheetahs have been spotted in North Khorasan province after several years, and I'd like to mention that South Khorasan borders Afghanistan, and North Khorasan borders Turkmenistan. Is it possible for animals like cheetahs to cross these borders? Also, last year, Uzbekistan expressed interest in reintroducing the cheetah. Leo1pard (talk) 07:00, 22 September 2025 (UTC)

I think it is not necessary to refer to sightings in already listed areas and add references to multiple newspaper articles. – BhagyaMani (talk) 09:08, 22 September 2025 (UTC), edited BhagyaMani (talk) 12:58, 22 September 2025 (UTC)
@BhagyaMani and Jts1882: Last year, 4 captive cubs were born at Saudi Arabia's National Center for Wildlife. Are these really Asiatic cheetahs as BBC Wildlife says? It is also worth mentioning that mummified specimens have been found in caves in the northwestern part of the country, with some being genetically shown to be Asiatic cheetahs, and others apparently belonging to the Northwest African subspecies. Leo1pard (talk) 13:29, 8 November 2025 (UTC); edited 13:30, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

I don't know where their ancestors were once caught. Only genetic analysis of their tissue samples can tell. BhagyaMani (talk) 14:46, 8 November 2025 (UTC)
At 2nd thought: in view of the wildlife smuggling between the Somali and Arabian peninsulas, it is indeed possible that their ancestors were born in Africa. – BhagyaMani (talk) 14:51, 8 November 2025 (UTC)