'Ghostly' Saharan cheetah filmed in Niger, Africa (BBC)

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By Matt Walker
Editor, Earth News

One of the world's most elusive cats has been photographed by a night time camera trap, after a year-long search for the animal.

The ghostly image of the Saharan cheetah has excited conservationists, as perhaps fewer than 10 of the cats survive in the deserts of Termit, Niger, where the photograph was taken.

Almost nothing is known of the Saharan cheetah, except that it endures extremely high temperatures and appears to survive without a permanent source of water.

Scientists working for the Saharan Conservation Fund (SCF) took the image as part of the Saharan Carnivore Project, an effort launched in conjunction with the University of Oxford, UK, four years ago to research and document larger predators roaming one of the world's most inhospitable habitats.
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These areas have become the most important remaining refuges for wildlife in the entire Sahara.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9306000/9306399.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9304000/9304974.stm (slideshow with other wild cats, foxes)

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1. K&R