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مدیر سایت

Yahya Prize to injured game guards

by مدیر سایت May 30, 2014

written by مدیر سایت 1 minutes read

Following its supportive programs toward Game guards, Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) held the first annual Yahya Prize ceremony in Karaj’s University of Environment(UOE) this morning. This price that sponsored by Mr. Mojtaba Ramzi and his wife Mrs.Paridokht Moshkzad, sculptors and ICS members , will have special subject every year in order to honor game guards. Dr. Fazel the president of university of environment suggested that next year the prize goes to a “researcher game guard”. Morteza Eslami, the president of ICS, in his speech mentioned that in 30 years, 100 game guards were killed in the protected areas, but thankfully last year there were no loss and we are looking forward that by help of people there won’t be even an injured game guard in future.

Mr.Ramzy said that he and his wife will provide this prize by dedicating their artistic products.

At the end of the ceremony the winners received their Yahya prize and some gifts from Mr Saman Golriz and Iranian technical publications.

1st Yahya Award Official Poster

Iranian Cheetah Society team with the Laurie Marker from CCF

Asiatic Cheetahs in Iran

Game Guards

May 30, 2014 0 comments

New hope for Darband Ravar Wildlife Refuge, Kerman province

by مدیر سایت April 21, 2014

written by مدیر سایت 1 minutes read

After 18 month of camera trapping in Darband Ravar wildlife refuge, finally one of the big cats of this region was trapped in our pictures .since October 2012, more than 25 points in this region has been monitored by ICS and Ravar’s DOE’s office .on May 2014 in 2 points the pictures of leopards have been captured. Earlier wild cat and Caracal were photographed in this region. One of the pictures shows a female leopard but because of the different angel of the other picture, it is impossible to tell whether these are the same individual by comparing their moles. However it seems that although these 2 pictures were captured within 8 kilometer distance, they belong to the same individual. In 2007 one leopard was killed by car crash in this region.

Because of insecurity of this region, it is possible to investigate only small part of this region .therefore by cooperation of the safe guards and researchers 4 points of this area have been monitored in hope to capture Cheetah’s image. The leopard’s pictures in this area increased the anticipations to record the Cheetahs in future.

Ravar Leopard

April 21, 2014 1 comment

Public Relations

WITH A WORLD CUP DEBUT LOOMING, A RARE CHEETAH’S PLIGHT IS IN FOR SOME GLOBAL ATTENTION

by مدیر سایت April 16, 2014

written by مدیر سایت 1 minutes read

When Iran’s football team takes to the field at this year’s World Cup competition in Brazil, it will sport on its jerseys not only its country’s insignia like all other teams, but also an image of the Asiatic cheetah emblazoned across the front. Allowing such an image is a radical departure for FIFA: its rules clearly stipulate that only country insignias and manufacturers’ logos can appear on jerseys. But it’s an even greater departure for Iran, whose top environment official requested this rare exception in a face-to-face meeting with FIFA’s head last year. Little more than a decade ago, few Iranians knew they were stewards of the last remaining Asiatic cheetahs on earth. Now, many hope the cheetahs’ international debut at the World Cup will raise global awareness and help them save their remnant population.

Centuries ago, Asiatic cheetahs roamed across much of the Middle East and into eastern India. Medieval royalty throughout the region often captured and trained cheetahs as hunting partners, even carrying them on horseback to hunting grounds. But somewhere along the way the hunters became the hunted. The last three cheetahs in India were shot by a Maharajah in 1947 when he spotted them in the beams of his car headlights. A growing human population and its livestock have crowded out Asiatic cheetahs in most countries, overgrazed the landscape, depleted their prey and often killed them on sight. By the 1990s, scientists estimated that Asiatic cheetahs were extinct in most of their former range and that fewer than 50 remained in Iran, holding out in the arid deserts in the eastern half of the country.

April 16, 2014 0 comments

Capacity Building

Community Based Solutions to Mitigate Human-Leopard Conflict in North of Iran

by مدیر سایت February 19, 2014

written by مدیر سایت 2 minutes read

At the end of “Capacity building of local communities to conserve Persian leopard in the Caucasus eco-region” project, a basket of solutions was designed to mitigate human- leopard conflict.

This basket contains solutions proposed by local people addressing the main roots of cattle depredation by leopard or other reasons caused damage to cattle in the target villages of project.

Ways to improve the care of cattle in the forest

In these villages cattle are driven out of village for grazing in the forest and are often attacked by leopard, because herders do not have enough time to be with them. Therefore, it suggested that several families graze their cattle together intermittently so fewer herder are needed to be with cattle every day and cattle are less attacked by leopard. On the other hand, most of losses occur in the farm seasons that families are very busy. Accordingly, giving cattle during rice farming seasons to a person who stay with cattle in the forest is another solution that will be often paid by rice production.

Keeping hybrid cattle instead of natives

Replacing existing cattle with hybrid type with higher meat and milk productivity, which can be kept mostly within corals, rather than pasturing in remote forests is the way to mitigate cattle loses by leopard or other probably damage.

Due to the high cost of buying hybrid cattle, the Artificial insemination of native cattle to have hybrid cattle is another considerable suggested solution.

Diversifying livelihood

When “the issue of cattle depredation” was analyzed with details, it was found that herding income is not sufficient for herders to spend fulltime on the care of cattle. So the possibility to launch a new job instead of herding or as a job opportunity in the forestwill lead in reducing the current conflict with leopard or help herders to spend more time on herding. Some of the desired are: mushroom production, beekeeping and worm compost.

Compensatory solution

In addition to the suggested solutions for the prevention of cattle losses, sharing enough information about existing livestock insurance program was proposed by local people asthe way to compensate financial losses.

In the last number of Dorfak Newsletter the possible ways of implementing these solutions were described through interviewing with local people who have successful experience in each of mentioned solutions. This basket with a diversity of solution provides the opportunity for each family to implement the most appropriate solution/s based on their complicated livelihood.

February 19, 2014 0 comments

Research

A Family of Leopards Near Humans

by مدیر سایت November 27, 2013

written by مدیر سایت 1 minutes read

A family of Persian leopards was seen by local people near Chalous road, one of the major paths from Tehran to northern Iran inside a local garden. Therefore, a group of experts from Alborz Department of Environment and the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) visited the place for more surveys. Based on left signs, the animals were approved to be leopard(s) and camera traps were installed to confirm its presence. Meanwhile, the DoE has enhanced its presence around to prevent any probable event that might affect adversely the leopards. Prior to the field excursion, a training workshop was held by the ICS’ Morteza Eslami for local game guards and experts about proper application of camera traps in wildlife surveys. Previously, another workshop was held by the ICS for a larger group of experts and game guards in the region in DoE central office in Karaj, discussing about various aspects of the leopard ecology. The Persian leopards inhabit ibex ranges across Alborz, a key area for the animal long-term viability in Iran. However, poaching of the prey and even the leopards as well as habitat shrinkage due to intensive human activities are threatening the animals’ existence. In order to promote leopard conservation, the ICS in partnership with Wildlife Image Institute produced a documentary, namely as “In Search for Persian Leopard” featured as the best Iranian documentary in 2011 in the area.

November 27, 2013 0 comments

Public Relations

Asiatic Cheetahs in Brazil’s World Cup

by مدیر سایت November 21, 2013

written by مدیر سایت 1 minutes read

ICS supports current campaigns asking Iranian Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs to display Asiatic cheetah as the national emblem on National Football team, during forthcoming Brazil championship games in 2014. As a leading conservation organization in the country, the ICS has been invited to be involved in the initiative which has been already shaped by Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project and Iran Department of Environment as well as some of the country’s environmentalists, started last month aiming to promote cheetah conservation inside the country. Accordingly, an official letter was submitted to the country’s Minister of Sports and Youth Affair on Sunday 27 October 2013 to highlight the movement. Signed by the ICS CEO, it is believed that indication of the Asiatic cheetah on the national football team clothes could highlight importance of the cheetah conservation at various social levels of the Iranian community”. “As one of the most critically endangered cats of the world which once ranges many parts of south and west Asia, presently the cheetah needs remarkable support”. Therefore, “the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) is honored to join the existing campaign established by various governmental and non-governmental organizations and activists as a substantial contribution to safeguard the Asiatic cheetahs in Iran”.

November 21, 2013 0 comments

Festivals & Conferences ICS News

Herders Who Did Not Kill Cheetahs

by مدیر سایت November 21, 2013

written by مدیر سایت 2 minutes read

As you may remember, just a few weeks, a national conference was held in Iran by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) in order to acknowledge tremendous efforts of 18 Cheetah Guardian working hardly to secure the cheetah ranges across Iran. While the event was quite successful to raise public attention through vast media coverage; however, another two persons were also highlighted in the ceremony which were actually lost in media. They were two herders, who lost their livestock to the cheetahs and the leopards in two different locations in the country. Mojtaba Ilkhani and Pourdel Nezhadravari, both witnessed the predators on their killed animals, but rather than trying to kill them using a shotgun or existing pesticide poisons, they immediately reported the case to Department of Environment game guard to inspect the situation. There is an established compensation program in Iran managed by the DoE; however, long bureaucratical process and financial constraints both have challenged its success.

Therefore, they were invited to the cheetah conference by the ICS to receive a remarkable financial incentive besides being acknowledged by the DoE’s head due to considering law. Furthermore, they are also invited to the ICS projects to share their expertise and to collaborate in field works aiming to protect the cheetahs in the country.

However, nobody can expect all local people to report their loss which sometimes can be substantial to their ivelihood whenever they encounter big cats. In recent years, a few cheetahs have been killed due to conflict cases. Therefore, while protecting of the reserves to sustain natural prey population can be essential to prevent conflict cases, but compensation programs need a crucial revision in Iran, if any conservation outcome is expected from allocating the money to losers. In the meantime, herders have high level of experience within the habitats, so their knowledge can be shared through involving them in conservation and monitoring efforts.

November 21, 2013 0 comments

Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Program Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring Program

Only 40 to 70 Asiatic Cheetahs Left in Iran

by مدیر سایت September 18, 2013

written by مدیر سایت 2 minutes read

“Iran is home to the last known population of Asiatic cheetah which once roamed across vast ranges of west and south Asian countries. However, despite enforced protection efforts in recent years, no reliable information was available about the subspecies population in the country which made assessment of conservation measures impossible.

Accordingly, a comprehensive monitoring program was initiated by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) in partnership with Iran’s Department of Environment, Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project and Panthera to understand demographic characteristics of the cheetahs in Iran between 2011 and 2013. As a result, a population of 40 to 70 individuals is now concluded for the entire country, fewer than what was already thought, i.e. 70 to 100.camera traps are reliable tools which are applicable for investigating population of elusive marked cats, such as the cheetahs. However, this technology has been rarely applied to the species due to its elusive nature and low density. In Iran, due to political sanctions, necessary equipment are not easily accessible which prevented a thorough status assessment before due to lack of proper number of camera traps. Thanks to various donors and partners, the monitoring program was initiated recently to fill the gap in knowledge which is essential for improving protection. Accordingly, almost 10 reserves within Iran were covered by means of infra-red camera traps to yield a reliable estimation of the cheetah population.

However, since no basic figure is available about the cheetah population for previous years, it is difficult to judge about population trends of the Asiatic cheetahs in Iran. Meanwhile, based on sporadic data available from previous years, it seems that the cheetah population has a decreasing status in recent years, indicting its most critically endangered status ever. Therefore, a comprehensive program is needed to protect the Asiatic cheetahs in the country. As part of its Cheetah Program, the ICS has a broad range of activities to halt the decrease, including training and equipping game guards, stopping overgrazing within reserves, community-based programs, application of genetic methods to understand population composition, etc. It is highly recommended to involved conservation agencies to revise existing protection efforts in Iran in order to safeguard cheetah survival in the country.

September 18, 2013 0 comments

Educational tools

Asiatic Cheetah Infographic Published

by مدیر سایت September 4, 2013

written by مدیر سایت 1 minutes read

“As the most recent educational product of the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS), an info graphic poster about Asiatic cheetah was published. Combined of “Information” and “Graphic”, info graphics are increasingly becoming effective tools with a variety of educational purposes that illustrate knowledge in a simple but comprehensive way for public.

While they have been widely applied by different wildlife conservation organizations across the world for various species, such an innovative method has been rarely used in Iran. Accordingly, the ICS developed its first info graphic in partnership with Info gram Institute, an Iranian sophisticated center to produce subjective info graphs.

Besides its attractive layout, the ICS printed its info graphic posters on used papers in order to spread the word of saving natural resources. The cheetah poster was distributed to celebrate 31 August, as the Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Day and more will be shared with communities around the cheetah habitats in Iran. More carnivore species are now subject to design new infographic posters. You can easily download the poster here.

September 4, 2013 0 comments

ICS News

Celebrating 12 Years of Wildlife Conservation in Iran

by مدیر سایت September 3, 2013

written by مدیر سایت 2 minutes read

In August 2013, the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) celebrates its 12^th birthday. Established in 2001, the ICS was launched by three enthusiastic students all committed to do something for the vanishing Asiatic cheetahs in Iran. The animal had a gloomy status at those years and the least hope exists among the most optimistic experts for its survival. Beside the Iranian Department of Environment (DoE), the ICS devoted itself to safeguard the cheetahs in Iran through two practical objectives, namely as research and public awareness.

As working hard through the time, the ICS captured new expertise and equipment and broadened its activities to cover Iranian carnivores, particularly Persian leopard, striped hyena, brown bear, and grey wolf. Accordingly, it has been conducting the first on ground research programs on the species and supported university students to investigate on these creatures. Also, educational plans were implemented across most of vast habitats of the cheetahs in Iran as well as other species. In order to be more effective, the ICS established documentary film as the third section to produce high quality wildlife movies in Iran to illustrate our unique biodiversity for people.

Now, the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) has around 30 staffs and more than 300 volunteers in Iran. Also, there is well organized international network of the ICS representatives based in the Europe and North America supporting us in Iran. We have the highest level of scientific equipment in Iran which can guarantee our hard and continuous efforts in the field. Meanwhile, the ICS has been regularly recognized to receive high-level national and international awards, thanks to severe attempts made by our staffs, volunteers and supporters.

However, the ICS is not happy when sees that almost no coherent is still exist from its generation, nearly all several dozen hundreds
of Iranian environmental NGOs started at those years have been faded. We are hopeful to see our second decade of life with more NGOs working in Iran hands in hands to secure future of our biodiversity.

As the most internationally-known Iranian NGO, the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) is grateful to all colleagues, partners, donors and
sponsors who recognized our passion to the Iranian wildlife and knew us as eligible to be supported. Despite of surviving in harsh and difficult environment, like where the cheetahs live, we are aware that we are now at start point, of course not fragile but robust. Ahead, we see a long way that we can be effective and any possible advice or contribution is highly appreciated.
We’ll remain.

September 3, 2013 0 comments