Iran down to 100 wild cheetah
By Hamidreza Rastegar
March 9, 2008
Asia's fatest land animal — the Asiatic cheetah — is running for its life in territory of Iran.
Until about 100 years ago, the Asiatic cheetah was widely distributed throughout much of Asia. Its distribution stretched from Palestine to Iran and to the Arabian Peninsula and eastward through Afghanistan to the Indian subcontinent. But over the years a combination of habitat conversion and killing eliminated the species from much of its range: Asiatic cheetah populations plunged from 100,000 in 1900 to 20,000-25,000 in 1970 to 10,000-15,000 today. One tenth of this population lives in captivity.
Biologists estimate less than 100 cheetahs remain in Iran, limited to arid and semiarid areas.
Female Asiatic cheetah captured with a remote camera in Iran. Photo courtesy I.R.Iran DOE/CACP/WCS/ UNDP-GEF
Before World War II, the Asiatic cheetah (ACINONYX JUBATUS VENATICUS) population was estimated to be around 400, ranging in almost all of the steppes and desert areas of the eastern half of the country and some western terrains near the Iraqi border (Harrington, 1971), but the advent of the jeep after the war marked the beginning of a decrease of this animal, largely through slaughter of their essential prey species, the gazelle (Lay, 1967). So decreasing in prey species caused great reduction in cheetah population. In 1956 the gazelle was declared protected by former Iranian Game Council and following by that cheetah in 1959. In the late 1970s, the cheetah population was estimated to be 200-300 for the whole of the country (Firouz, 1976), while some other experts believe it as an over-estimation noted an approximate number of 100, including 30 cheetahs for Khosh Yeilagh area (Joslin, 1984). In 1979, the country witnessed a revolution, which interrupted wildlife conservation for a few years. So many areas were occupied by livestock and the flat plains and steppes became the field of manoeuvre for armed 4WD vehicles and motorbikes chasing desert species, such as Persian gazelle Gazella Subgutturosa, Jebeer gazelle Gazella Bennettii, Onager Equus Hemionus Onager, and also the cheetah. Gazelle, which is the most important prey for cheetah, found the remarkable reduction so cheetah had to move to new area and finding the new source of food. The foothill areas were less suffered from poachers and new food sources such wild sheep Ovis Orientalis and wild goat Capra Aegagrus were available in plenty. But the problem was conflict with other species like leopard.
Current status
In 2000, the cheetahs were known by the Iranian DOE to occur inside 5 reserves, but more investigations by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) added 4 more areas to the cheetahs' range in 2002 and 2003, totally 9 known reserves verified to hold small populations of the cheetahs, from 6 to more than 20 individuals. Meanwhile, there are more areas where are not verified to be a cheetah habitats, but on the basis of historical data or occasional reports, they are suspected to be a piece of the cheetah's jigsaw puzzle in Iran. Accordingly, it is logical to dare to think that the cheetah's population may even exceed 100. The Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) hopes to reach to more accurate estimations of the cheetah population in the country in near future.
Areas
Kavir National Park (NP) In 50 km southeast of Tehran, with an area of 670,000 ha. Once called the ‘Iran's Little Africa', Kavir was the habitat of almost all the Iranian desert species, but after the revolution in 1979 human persecution led to eradication of the Onager and a decline in the Persian gazelle to a few dozen. It is estimated that there is a population of less than 10 cheetahs in the area, often seen in the valleys and dried river beds looking for wild sheep and Jebeer gazelle.
Kharturan National Park, Wild Life Refuge, and Biosphere Reserve Southeast of Shahrud, Semnan province, with an area of 1.4 million ha. Kharturan is the second largest biosphere reserve in Iran, and because of its large size and difficult desert situation, most of its species were able to save themselves against poachers during the critical period of the early 1980s. The area has one of the richest diversities in its mammal species in the country, and has the largest population of Onager in Iran as well as a good number of species of gazelles, wild sheep and wild goat, which ensure cheetah survival. The area is estimated to be home of 12-15 cheetahs and occasional sighting of the animal with cubs indicates a growing population.
Naybandan Wildlife Refuge (WR) 180 km south of Tabas is the largest reserve in Iran with 1.5 million ha. Naybandan has recently been given legal protection and is known today to hold the highest population of the Iranian cheetah - at least 15. A low population of Jebeer gazelle as well as wild sheep and goats inhabit the area. Furthermore, the striped hyena is the only large carnivore present in the area. Naybandan has been a traditional passage for drug smugglers from the Iran's eastern border with Afghanistan, so that fear of being caught by the smugglers inhibited poachers. Thus the cheetah could survive without protective measurements in the area. At present, preventive activities by the Iranian Army on the Afghan border has limited smugglers' activities while conservation has been enhanced remarkably by the Iranian Department of the Environment (DOE) in recent years.
Ariz & Bafq Protected Area (PA)
Ariz &Bafq Protected Area, eastern Yazd province is one of the most important cheetah reserves, with an area of 250,000 ha. The area has large number of wild sheep, wild goat and Jebeer gazelle. Persian leopard, the largest subspecies occurs in relative high numbers. It is estimated that there are at least 10 cheetahs in the area, and because of the size of the region; the cheetah density is fairly high compared with the other cheetah reserves. Unfortunately, because of high conflict between humans and the cheetah, two tragedies took place during the past years; in 1994 two cubs were killed and the third captured. Also, in June 2003 three two months old cubs were burned by a local herder.
Dar-e Anjir Wild Life Refuge (WR) In 100 km northeast of the city of Yazd with an area of 150,000 ha. Due to protective measures, the region has recently been improved and herds of Jebeer gazelle, wild sheep and wild goat can be observed. It is estimated that the area is home of around 7-10 cheetahs. In 2002, camera traps twice photographed a mother accompanied by two yearling cubs
The above 5 areas are fragmented reserves located in the deserts of the eastern half of the country, but it does not seem that cheetah range is merely limited to these five. Since August 2002, the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) has begun to carry out continuous surveys to establish cheetah existence in 4 more areas in Esfahan and Yazd provinces between Kavir National Park in the north and Dar-e Anjir to the south with a total area of more than one million ha:
Abbas Abad Protected Area: A 400,000 ha desert habitat near the city of Naein. The reserve is a habitat for wild sheep, wild goat and a few Jebeer gazelle. 4 cheetah tracks were found between October 2002 and November 2003 Confirmed cheetah sightings in 2006. Now it is thought they may be 10 or so in the area.
Ardestan Free Area: Many reports of cheetahs in the area, though one sighting was proved to be a lynx.
Desert Free Area of Northern Karkas Mountain and Mooteh WR, the best gazelle habitat in the country and a possible cheetah area.
Siahkuh Protected Area: Recently established to protect by law, the 200,000 ha reserve is located near the city of Ardakan. Fairly good populations of prey species occur and there are few reliable reports on cheetah sightings, including a mother with two cubs. Moreover, recently in Miandasht WR, near the northeastern border of Khar Turan, a group of three (mother with two yearling cubs) was filmed.
Conclusion
The main threats to the Asiatic cheetah are habitat destruction, loss of prey species, and direct killing by human specially the local herders who believe cheetah kills their livestock. The fragile semi-arid habitats of cheetah are being degraded and in some places are returning to desert. Spreading agriculture, industries, human settlements, mining and infrastructure have altered most of the natural habitat of the Iran. Most rural people raise livestock, which compete with gazelle, Urial sheep and wild goat—the cheetah's main prey species. As a result, the Asiatic Cheetah is now listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. Some surveys by Asadi in the latter half of 1997 show that urgent action is required to rehabilitate wildlife populations, especially gazelles and their habitat for surviving Asiatic Cheetah. Despite all this, there is firm evidence of the continued survival of a small population of the Asiatic cheetah in Iran.
The most important next step which must be considered to save the last Asiatic cheetahs are; Controlling livestock access to cheetah habitat, increasing the capacity of park staff, developing of wildlife management and education to sustain a balanced ecosystem that supports wildlife and cheetah and bringing ecotourism program to cheetah protected areas which its benefit can reinvest for conservation program and local community.
Hamidreza Rastegar
hamidrezarastegar-AT-yahoo.com, university of Pune
REFRENCES
BBC report, 31 August 2005
Bombay journal of natural history,1948
Janamjit Singh, 2006, Biodiversity planning for sustainable development
Hormoz Asadi, 1997, The environmental limitation and future the Asiatic cheetah in Iran
Iranian cheetah society reports,2006 and 2007
Iran's department of environment report, 2006 and 2007
Science daily, 12 September 2007
Science daily, 6 March 2005
Wild life conservation society report, 2007
David Newsome, Ross Dowling and Susan Moore, 2007, wildlife tourism
MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
