When a cheetah sprints, there is nothing on Earth that can touch it. The big cat’s hind legs heave forward, kicking up dust, while its front paws bounce off the ground. A few years ago, a cheetah at full pelt clocked 64mph, covering 100m in just 5.95 seconds. Usain Bolt’s world record for the same distance is 9.58 seconds. Not for nothing is the world’s fastest land mammal called a 'polka-dotted missile’.

Yet for all its untouchable talent, man is now beating beast. A report released last week by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) revealed that the cheetah is racing towards extinction. Today there are just 7,100 in the wild, a figure that has halved since 1975. Over the next 15 years, that may be further reduced by 53 per cent.

The cheetah’s is a familiar tale. Its wide hunting range means they come into contact with humans outside of protected national parks. Their skin and meat is prized by poachers, while cubs are targeted by traffickers to sell as status symbols in the Middle East.