Cheetah are built for speed just like a greyhound - long, thin and light-boned. They differ from most other cats because they have semi-retractable claws which help with acceleration and direction changes during short bursts of speed as they run down their prey. Cheetah spoor show the claw marks and is similar to hyena or wild dog.
They are not commonly hunted and are strictly protected as a CITES Appendix I animal. From January 1993, CITES approved export quotas for cheetah trophies from Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
USF&W, however, will still not permit US hunters to import cheetah trophies despite Namibia's strong cheetah management programs and the tireless years of work by Mr John J Jackson, III and Conservation Force, to get the cheetah of Namibia downlisted.