During the third year of country-scale monitoring of the Critically Endangered Asiatic cheetah in Iran, our research team was surprised by finding the first confirmed evidence of wolf presence in Darreh Anjir Wildlife Refuge, Yazd province.
Located in south-central Iran, Darreh Anjir Wildlife Refuge appears crucial the connectivity of cheetah populations in Iran. The reserve has been continuously surveyed by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) and its partners for about 6 years, but until now no information was available about the co-occurrence of grey wolves in the area. Interestingly, our trail cameras have also captured footages of the striped hyena in the reserve after a 6-year gap.
ICS is running the third round of nation-wide camera trap monitoring of the Asiatic cheetah in collaboration with Provincial Offices of Iran Department of Environment and Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project. The project aims to reveal detailed information about the population and breeding status, as well as movement ecology of the rare and elusive Asiatic cheetah in its last stronghold in Iran.
Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring Program
Shepherd dogs threatens Asiatic Cheetah cubs in Miandasht
Miandasht Wildlife Refuge is one of the key cheetah reserves in northeastern Iran. Monitoring of the reserves using camera-traps by ICS has revealed at least 7 cheetah individuals in this reserve, which is one of the largest known populations of the Critically Endangered Asiatic cheetah. ICS’ camera-traps have also documented the presence of at least two different cheetah families with 4 dependant cubs.
Every year during the autumn and winter seasons, a number of traditional pastoralists are permitted to graze their herd in a portion of Miandasht. These pastoralists use more than 35 shepherd dogs for their herds. Shepherd dogs are serious threats for cheetah cubs, as they can easily chase cheetah families and kill the cubs, as previously documented in different locations in Iran.
During the winter 2016, ICS biologists in collaboration with the local wildlife authority and local rangers in Miandasht, run a rapid awareness effort for about 90% of herders entered the reserve. With this effort, ICS biologists discussed with herders different aspects of livestock herding and potential threats to cheetahs in Miandasht, stressing on managing shepherd dogs in order to minimize the risk of encountering with cheetahs. Also, some gifts were presented to the herders with signs and photos of cheetahs, as a reminder for the fact that local herders can play an important role in conservation efforts for cheetahs in Iran.
New cheetah death highlights the importance of identifying and preserving biological corridors
On February 1st, 2016, Semnan Department of Environment discovered a carcass of an adult male cheetah in vicinity of Touran Protected Area. A preliminary necroscopy examination suggested that this cheetah has been unfortunately killed by humans. While further investigations are underway, ICS researchers compared the unique coat pattern of this individual with our country-wide dataset of identified Iranian cheetahs. Our team could identify this adult male cheetah as an individual previously camera-trapped as a cub by our team in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge in North Khorasan Province, back in summer 2012 and again in 2013.
There is no empirical data about dispersal and movement ecology of Asiatic cheetahs in Iran. However, Iranian cheetahs are known to move long-distances within and between the known cheetah nuclei in south-central Iran. This incident confirms past speculations about emigration and immigration of cheetahs from and to Miandasht and Touran, highlighting the urgent need for identifying and preserving biological corridors for the Critically Endangered Asiatic cheetah in Iran. Read more about ICS research on cheetah movements in central Iran.
New camera-trap photos from Miandasht Wildlife Refuge
The Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) is monitoring Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, one of the key cheetah reserves in northeastern Iran, since 2004. Following the second phase of ICS’ nation-wide cheetah monitoring program in 2014-15, we continued to monitor important water sources in this reserve with the aid of camera traps. Here you can see a sample collection of wildlife pictures from our camera traps, including new photos from a cheetah family, gray wolves, striped hyena, gazelles, and several pictures of birds of prey.
ICS’ camera-trapping survey of Miandasht is running in collaboration with North Khorasan Provincial Office of Iran Department of Environment and CACP.
The Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS)’s camera traps have detected a new family of two cheetahs in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, North Khorasan province. We knew this female cheetah since 2012, when she was photographed with her three cubs in the reserve. New photographs from Miandasht show her with a male cub.
The female cheetah with her cub photographed in November 2015.
Miandasht has been intensively monitored by ICS since 2011, but this female cheetah has been absent in our photos since 2013.
The same female cheetah photographed with three cubs in 2012.
This finding shows that presently at least two female cheetahs with their cubs live in Miandasht, who are indeed mother and sister.
The family of four cheetahs re-photographed in 2013.
Therefore, at least 7 Critically Endangered Asiatic cheetahs, including 2 adult females, 4 dependant cubs, and one adult male, are present in Miandasht.
Another cheetah family photographed in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge in September 2015. The cheetah mother in this photo is one of the cubs photographed in 2011-12.
This information suggests that Miandasht is one of the best cheetah reserves in Iran, with one of the largest population of cheetahs confirmed to persist in a reserve in the country.
ICS’ monitoring program in Miandasht is running in collaboration with North Khorasan Provincial Office of Iran Department of Environment and Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project, and this phase of camera-trap surveys will be continued until end of January 2016.
The cheetah family photographed again in Miandasht!
The Iranian Cheetah Society’s camera-traps have successfully photographed this family of a female cheetah with three cubs in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge during October 2015. This cheetah family was first photographed in August 2015, and we are thrilled to find out that they are still doing well.
The female cheetah has been photographed in different occasions since the first time she was identified in 2013 as a cub. Miandasht Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Iran is one of the key cheetah reserves in the country, and holds the majority of cheetah reproduction records since 2011. The Iranian Cheetah Society is monitoring the cheetah population in this reserve since 2004, in collaboration with North Khorasan Provincial Office of Iran Department of the Environment and Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project.
The second phase of nation-wide cheetah monitoring continued in Naybandan Wildlife Refuge, South Khorasan province, in January 2015. In collaboration with the local wildlife authority, cameras were collected in May 2015. We have now started analyzing the photos and identifying the captured cheetahs. Preliminary results have confirmed that the male cheetah, who was photo-captured in 2013 and awarded the BBC Wildlife Camera-trap Photo of the Year 2014, still occurs in the reserve. The Society’s camera traps have also captured a dozen of photos of sympatric carnivores with cheetahs.
Recent nation-wide camera trapping of cheetah reserves in Iran suggests a population decline in the southern habitats.
Houman Jowkar, the National Manager of Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP), stated in an interview with the Iranian media that “the second phase of the cheetah monitoring project focuses on local community-based approaches for the sake of the species conservation.” Jowkar added that the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) is running the national project for the cheetah population assessment in Iran.
While the last population assessment of the Iranian cheetahs was conducted in 2012, the current initiative has began from the southern reserve, with the Naybandan Wildlife Refuge, South Khorasan province, as the first reserve which has been surveyed in 2014. The camera-trapping survey will be continued in Bafq Protected Area, Darreh Anjir Wildlife Refuge, Siah Kuh National Park, and Ariz, all in Yazd province.
Jowkar noted that “current data suggests a population decline in the southern reserves, whereas a large population of cheetahs has been so far detected in the northern reserve, namely Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, North Khorasan province, and Touran National Park, Semnan province.” “The second phase of nation-wide population monitoring of cheetahs will allow us to compare the new data with those of older figures, so a more realistic picture of the current status of cheetahs in Iran can be drawn” Jowkar added.
Further, Navid Gholikhani, the ICS’ project leader provided more information about the project objectives and future plans. “Our goal is to survey all the cheetah reserves in Yazd province simultaneously” Gholikhani said. He added that “the former camera trap survey resulted in photo-capturing of 22 different cheetah individuals in the cheetah reserves, thus, combined with opportunistic observations and field reports, a population of 40-70 cheetahs will be our best guess for Iran.” However, the camera-trapping survey need to be optimized based on a systematic approach allowing more robust analysis of camera trap data. Gholikhani stated that besides the critical population data received from the national survey, “involving local wildlife authorities and warden in the cheetah monitoring project has helped to increase conservation actions on the ground, thus indirectly benefits the cheetah conservation efforts in the country”.
Iranian Cheetah Society participated in the cheetah workshop held in Ardakan, Yazd Province
Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) presented its 3-year-old nation-wide cheetah monitoring project in a workshop in Ardakan County, Yazd Province. Held jointly by Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) and Yazd Office of Iran Department of the Environment (DoE); together with ICS, Yazd DoE’s managers, deputies of Wildlife & Biodiversity Bureau of Iran DoE, Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation (PWHF), local wildlife authorities, cheetah reserves’ wardens, and a local mining company participated in the one-day workshop.
The workshop aimed to gather local and national cheetah conservationists and decision makers in order to share the most up-to-date information about the status of the Critically Endangered Asiatic cheetah in Iran, and to form a participatory framework to discuss urgent actions required to save the species from extinction in its last stronghold on the Earth.
During the workshop, ICS experts presented their findings after three years of intensive camera-trapping in cheetah reserves across Yazd Province. A framework to more actively involve the local residents in cheetah conservation was also presented. Additionally, CACP managers and PWHF experts discussed results of their projects across the country and future approaches for cheetah conservation in Iran. The workshop participants discussed the obstacles to cheetah conservation in Iran, and agreed to continue such initiatives to boost efforts to save the highly threatened Asiatic cheetah.
The Country-wide Cheetah Monitoring Program Meets Naybdan Wildlife Refuge
Iranian Cheetah Soceity’s country-wide monitoring program for the Asiatic Cheetahs continues in a new site, Naybandan Wildlife Refuge.
The project team has just finished the intensive camera-trapping in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, northeastern Iran, and now moves the camera traps to Naybandan, eastern Iran.
During the survey in Miandasht, four cheetah individuals were detected and many wildlife species were recorded. The survey in Naybandan is conducting with collaboration of South Khorasan Office of Iran DoE and Pars Wildlife Institute.
Naybandan Wildlife Refuge is the large reserve in Iran with an area of 14000 km2 . Iranian Cheetah Society has surveyed the reserve in 2013 and hopes that the new survey will result in a new estimation of cheetah population in the reserve.