Spotting Cheetahs: Identifying Individuals by Their FootprintsZoe C. Jewell 1, Sky K. Alibhai 1, Florian Weise 2,3, Stuart Munro 2, Marlice Van Vuuren 4, Rudie Van Vuuren 4
1WildTrack and Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 2N∕a′an ku sê Research Programme, 3Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology, School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, 4N∕a′an ku sê Foundation
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is an iconic, endangered species, but conservation efforts are challenged by habitat shrinkage and conflict with commercial farmers. The footprint identification technique, a robust, accurate and cost-effective image classification system, is a new approach to monitoring cheetahs.
