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Cheetahs Heading Towards Extinction as Population Crashes (bbc.com)
The sleek, speedy cheetah is rapidly heading towards extinction according to a new study into declining numbers. From a report on BBC: The report estimates that there are just 7,100 of the world's fastest mammals now left in the wild. Cheetahs are in trouble because they range far beyond protected areas and are coming increasingly into conflict with humans. The authors are calling for an urgent re-categorisation of the species from vulnerable to endangered. Cheetahs in Asia have been essentially wiped out. A group estimated to number fewer than 50 individuals clings on in Iran. [...] In Zimbabwe, the cheetah population has fallen from around 1,200 to just 170 animals in 16 years, with the main cause being major changes in land tenure.
The word you're looking for is "bred". They're being bred in zoos everywhere.
They may be being bred in zoos, but that's not a healthy situation for the species.
I recently reread Clarke's "Rendezvous with Rama" (I liked it as a teenager, but thought it was pretty crappy all these years later.) But I digress.
One notable thing though in the story is the idea of capping human population to one billion. I don't know if one billion is the right number, but it does make me wonder if there isn't some merit to the idea.
I'd like to add euthanasia, universal abortion, one-child laws and forced age limits to that as well.
Everyone get on your high horse and mod me down into oblivion, but you know damn well you want to see the world population knocked down a few billion for the benefit of the planet.
You don't have to cull anyone. Just encourage people to have less kids.
And STOP SOCIALLY OSTRACIZING PEOPLE WHO DECIDE NOT TO HAVE KIDS. Especially women. They're doing the world a favor and you have people calling them "selfish" or treating them as second class citizens for not joining the parental cult.
My girlfriend and are voluntarily childfree and get bullshit like this from time to time.
And no offense to parents who don't behave this way. Ya'll are awesome. There's just way too many who do.
"and it's only peripherally due to humans"
Not quite, if humans were out of the equation, they'd probably be doing a lot better, and their limited genetic diversity would probably continue to grow. We've most certainly limited their potential and influenced their chances of survival negatively. Yes, the cards were stacked against them, and humans have burned most of the deck to boot.