A cheetah rests on a termite mound in Kenya. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
A three year study has found that cheetahs and African wild dogs have vanished from Cameroon. In addition the nation’s other big carnivores are in trouble in the central-west African nation. Numerous studies have shown that the loss of top predators results in changes across ecosystems, including population explosion of some herbivores, extinctions down the food chain, shifts in plant communities, and a general loss in overall biodiversity.
To read more about Cameroon’s extirpation of big predators: Cameroon says goodbye to cheetahs and African wild dogs.