The Last Asiatic Cheetahs Of Iran

When we hear Iran mentioned in the news, the images that immediately come to mind are war torn cities and military fighting; however, there is so much more to Iran than we know. Thinking of Iran, the one image that doesn't enter my mind is a cheetah, but there are Asiatic Cheetahs living and surviving in Iran’s “vast central plateau” (Hunter, National Geographic). There are only about 100 individuals left in Iran so they are extreme rarities among the desert landscapes. According to Dr. Luke Hunter, President of Panthera, “Iranian cats are virtually invisible […] intensely shy […] and hovering on the edge of extinction, they are essentially impossible to see” (Hunter, National Geographic).

Recently, National Geographic magazine published amazing photographs of wild Asiatic cheetahs in Iran gathered from those taken by camera-traps.  National Geographic was only able to photograph these rare cats due to an 11-year conservation project by the Iranian Department of Environment. In 2001, the DoE with support from the United Nations Development Programme, began a long-term project to bring the cheetah back from the edge of extinction. The Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) provided their own help by labeling five landscapes as specially protected cheetah reserves and provided numerous resources to make them remain safe havens—dozen of cheetah guards, new vehicles, motorbikes, and other materials. (Hunter, National Geographic)

Back in 2001, most Iranians had no idea their country harbored some of the Earth’s last Asiatic cheetahs, but now in cooperation with Panthera and local partners, the CACP sets out to protect the last Iranian cheetahs by

mitigating the direct threats facing cheetahs and their prey; gathering ecological data on existing cheetah, other carnivore and prey populations; enhancing and empowering law enforcement officials to protect cheetahs and their prey, including seeking a reduction in the number of annual gun licenses issued in cheetah range; researching the ecology of cheetahs, other predators and their prey using camera traps and radio-collars; studying cheetah rangelands to determine the extent of competition for land between livestock and the cheetah’s wild ungulate prey; establishing environmental educational activities with local communities to improve attitudes towards cheetahs; and engaging with local communities, conservation organizations and government officials to collaboratively protect cheetah habitat. (Hunter, Panthera)

In the past, the Asiatic cheetah’s distribution “extended across the Middle East, Central Asia, north into southern Kazakhstan and southeast into India;” however, today the cheetah has been pushed from almost its entire Asiatic range except for the “small and critically endangered population in the Islamic Republic of Iran” (Hunter, Panthera). The roughly 100 Asiatic cheetahs left in the wild occupy the “arid, central plateau of Iran” and face major threats which include: “overhunting of cheetah prey, habitat degradation and direct poaching” (Hunter, Panthera).

It’s important to get the word out about these elusive cats and to grab the attention of conservation organizations worldwide; that’s why the camera trap photos are so pertinent to the cheetahs’ survival. Currently, “Iranian cheetahs live at the lowest density recorded anywhere for the species, one to two cats per 1,000 square kilometers; the same-size area on East African plains can hold 100 cheetahs” (Hunter, National Geographic). National Geographic magazine’s article provides “evidence of residency and breeding including terrific pictures of young cubs” (Hunter, National Geographic). So, even though the cheetahs are at exceptionally low numbers, the camera trap photographs of the cheetahs and cubs provide hope for future populations.

Dr. Luke Hunter hopes that “National Geographic’s wonderful photographs bring the predicament of this critically endangered cat to a new audience who, like most Iranians a decade ago, had never heard of the cheetah’s existence in the country” (Hunter, National Geographic).

References

Hunter, Luke, Dr. "Finding the Last Cheetahs of Iran." News Watch. National Geographic, 25 Oct. 2012.Web. 30 Oct. 2012. 

Hunter, Luke, Dr. "Finding the Last Cheetahs of Iran." Panthera, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.