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.
مدیر سایت
‘Yuznameh’ (meaning ‘Cheetah Letters’ in Persian) is the bi-seasonal newsletter of the Iranian Cheetah Society. The new issue of the newsletter reports the Society’s activities and project between summer 2014 and winter 2015. Click here to download the new issue.
The interview featured in “The Other Side” series, about wildlife documentary in Iran. Morteza Eslami, CEO of the Society, discussed ICS’ experience in production of Iranian wildlife documentaries in the country, after the critically acclaimed movie “In search for the Persian leopard” released in 2011.
Iranian Cheetah Society’s video of Asiatic cheetahs wins top prize in WLT trail camera competition
Another footage of Asiatic cheetahs captured by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) received worldwide recognition.
In conjunction with The Times, World Land Trust (WLT) run International Trail Camera Competition 2014. A group of world-known conservationists and photographers judged this year’s competition. ICS, as one of the WLT partners, submitted a rare footage of cheetah encounters with a camel in northeastern Iran.
Simon Barnes, writer and WLT Council member and one of the competition judges, describes the ICS’ video as the one that “sparked no debate: we were unanimous from the first viewing. It’s a glorious tale in miniature and it begins – but only begins – with a camel.”
The camera was sat on a water point in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, North Khorasan province. Late at night a free-ranging camel comes to the water point. After a few seconds, suddenly, two cheetahs appear in the scene. The cheetahs try to approach to the water point but, apparently, the camel easily drives them back. This footage rejects this myth that cheetahs predate on adult camels in Iran, which frequently claims by local camel breeders in some cheetah reserves in Iran.
On youtube: https://youtu.be/iOZl9ID-7II
To read more about WLT’s trail camera competition and to see the cheetah’s footage follow this link:
Local people engages with conservation of the Asiatic cheetah
Iranian Cheetah Society launches a community-based project to engage local people with the nation-wide cheetah monitoring project in Iran.
Conservation of the Asiatic cheetahs in Iran has been the country’s most important conservation initiative during the past decade. Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS), together with Iran Department of the Environment and other NGOs, has focused its activities on research and conservation activities about the species. Yet, local people living in the cheetah habitats have rarely got involved in the past efforts. Involvement of local communities in conservation of endangered wildlife populations is known as an effective wildlife steward. Inspiring and enthusing local people for conservation of the cheetah and its habitats in Iran can gives new hope for long-term survival of the critically-endangered species in Iran.
ICS is now working on methods of local people’s engagement in cheetah conservation in some key reserve in central Iran. In the second year of nation-wide cheetah monitoring project, ICS seeks ground for this in Dareh Anjir Wildlife Refuge in Yazd province as a pilot site. ICS hopes this exercise provides critical information for a large-scale community-based project for conservation of Asiatic cheetahs in the third year of the cheetah monitoring program.
Iranian Cheetah Society awarded in the International Exhibition of Environment in Tehran
Between 21 and 24 February 2015, the 14th International Exhibition of Environment launched in Tehran. With representatives from several European and Asian countries, as well as provincial offices of Iran Department of the Environment, environmental NGOs, and Iranian firms and companies; the exhibition is the most important annual event about environmental issues in Iran.
As the past years Iranian Cheetah Society attended the event, presenting its conservation activities about Iranian wildlife, particularly the Asiatic cheetahs. The ICS’ booth was one the most busy spots in the exhibition, and visitors received the most recent information about our work in remote habitats of Iran. Information about the Iranian wildlife, working with trail cameras, environmental games for kids, ICS’ internal newsletter, an album of most recent camera-trapped pictures of Iranian wildlife by ICS, and various booklets and infographic posters were among the products and activities that ICS provided in the exhibition.
In the final ceremony of the exhibition, attended by Iran’s VP and Head of Iran Department of the Environment, Dr. Masoumeh Ebtekar, the Iranian Cheetah Society awarded for its participation and role as an environmental NGO in this event.
Iran’s Exhibition of Environment holds annually to represent the latest technologies and achievements in field of environment and its related industries, particularly new environmental technologies in fields of weather, water, and soil quality management. This exhibition also seeks opportunities to prepare the ground for public participation in protection of Iran’s environment.
Director-General of Japan’s Global Environment Bureau visited the Iranian Cheetah Society at Tehran’s Exhibition of Environment
On February 21 2015, Mr. Seki Soichiro, Director-General of Global Environment Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Environment visited the Iranian Cheetah Society’s booth at Tehran’s 14th International Exhibition of Environment. Accompanied by Iran’s Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Biodiversity, Dr. Ahmad-Ali Keykha, Mr. Soichiro received information about conservation activities that Iranian Cheetah Society is doing on the Iranian wildlife.
Iranian Cheetah Society hosted a one-day workshop about common plants in cheetah habitats in Iran. Majid Eskandari, author of “The Field Guide to Plants of Iran”, was the tutor of this workshop. Topics included in this workshop were: an introduction to cheetah habitats in Iran, the most common plants in cheetah habitats, a key to common plants in cheetah habitats in Iran, important plants for cheetah prey. This workshop was held as a series of the training workshops for the ICS’ researchers and members.
Iranian Cheetah Society’s CEO at Hamshahri Magazine
“Cheetahs in Iran?! How it might be possible?” The most common question almost everyone asked us when we started our efforts for conservation of the Asiatic cheetahs in Iran. Said Morteza Eslami, CEO of ICS, in an interview with “Hamshahri- My Neighborhood Magazine”.
Hamshahri is one of the largest circulation publishers in Iran and its My Neighborhood Magazine is widely circulated in Iran’s Capital Tehran. The Interview with ICS’ CEO which released in February 2015, focuses on history of the Iranian Cheetah Society, its progress as a leading conservation unit in the country, and ICS’ efforts for conservation of cheetahs and other endangered wildlife of Iran.
Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) held a one-day poster design workshop focusing on environmental issues. The workshop was set up in the ICS’ head office in Tehran. Participants were thought from basics to more sophisticated techniques for poster design using advanced software. Each participant produced a poster at the end of the day based on what he/she had learned from the workshop. ICS aims to continue such capacity building activities for its members via short courses and workshops.