The Asiatic Cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus venaticus ) is a subspecies of the cheetah . Asiatic cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus venaticus ) has for a long time been theoretically classified as a sub-species of the cheetah with the suffix `` venaticus '' applied at the end of its scientific binomial name Acinonyx jubatus but at a Cheetah reintroduction workshop organized in India on 9 September 2009 Stephen J. O'Brien from Laboratory of Genomic Diversity of National Cancer Institute , USA who has in the past conducted numerous prestigious genetic studies including those on Asiatic lions said that according to latest modern genetic studies which became possible only now it was discovered that in fact Asiatic cheetah was genetically identical to the African Cheetah with which it had separated only about 5000 years ago which was not enough time for a sub-species level differentiation , in comparison he said that the Asian and African lion subspecies were separated some 100,000 years ago , so was the African and Asian leopard subspecies 169,000 years ago . Cheetah expert Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund ( CCF ) and other wildlife experts assembled for the occasion advised the Indian Government that for reintroduction purposes India should source the Cheetah from Africa where they were much more numerous instead of trying to have some removed from the critically endangered low population of about worlds last 70 to 100 or so Asiatic Cheetahs left in Iran .