@vgr

Another reminder that nature is grimdark. Only so much conservationists can do. The asiatic cheetah went extinct during the Raj, and there are ongoing efforts to reintroduce it from Africa (a genetically distinct subspecies) but I guess the leopards aren’t going to let competition emerge so easily. Cheetahs were domesticated as hunting companions and also hunted, but I suspect they went extinct because Indian terrain is not as conducive to the cheetah’s unique style of coursing (chasing) hunting, compared to Africa. All the other big cats do ambush hunting. Leopards are the most successful big cats around human habitation in India, roughly equivalent to bears or wolves in the US (we had several near my undergrad campus). Medium-sized stalking/ambush predators and adaptable to human periphery. Tigers do poorly because they’re too big and need too much territory. Asiatic lions have almost vanished except in Gir forest, I suspect because India is also not conducive to pack hunting. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kuno-national-park-4-cheetah-cubs-born-in-the-wild-found-dead-leopard-attack-suspected-101778597098155.html

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