The cheetah is the speediest runner on Earth.  Quick as the cat may be, though, it has not been able to escape harm. The pale-yellow cat with black spots was once a common sight throughout Africa and much of Asia. Just over 100 years ago, there were about 100,000 cheetahs in the world.  But today, there are only about 10,000 cheetahs left. Now conservationists are working to save the wild cats.