More efforts are needed to protect a key wildlife habitat in Miandasht, South Khorasan Province, for Asiatic cheetahs, a critically endangered species, said the top official at the provincial office of the Department of Environment.
"Miandasht region is among the most important cheetah habitats in Iran, where seven or eight members of the rare species have been sighted," Asghar Motahhari told IRNA on Thursday.
"The province is home to the highest concentration of cheetahs, so it merits special attention," he stressed.
The only cheetah subspecies found in Asia, the Asiatic cheetah is now confined to Iran (hence the name Iranian cheetah) where it numbers at about 50, a tenth of what it was less than 40 years ago.
Most of the cheetah cubs born in Miandasht are taken to Khartouran National Park, Semnan Province. But unlike the Miandasht sanctuary, the park's vast territory narrows the odds of encounters and mating between male and female cheetahs, Motahhari said.
"Khartouran, the world's second largest national park, is another cheetah habitat spanning an area of 1.5 million hectares. Its vastness makes the meetings between male and female cheetahs an infrequent occurrence, which, in turn, results in a lower breeding rate. But that is not the case with Miandasht, whose smaller size makes the area more conducive to cheetah breeding."
Habitat Threats
Cheetahs have witnessed their habitats being shrunk due to the expansion of farming lands and roads, he lamented.
Motahhari said cooperation from the locals is central to DOE's cheetah protection initiative.
"Preserving the cheetah population is an onerous task, but we hope we can fulfill that in cooperation with the local people."
He noted that international conservation funds have not been supplied due to sanctions but the DOE is pursuing its case.
The Iranian cheetah has a smaller head than their African cousins. Their legs are shorter, their coat thicker and their neck is more powerful.
