Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring Program
An Asiatic Cheetah was spotted in the unprotected zone between Turan Biosphere Reserve and Miandasht Wildlife Refuge. The cheetah was in poor condition, panting, and had a bloody mouth. A leech was attached to the underside of its tongue. The young male cheetah, named “Tara” by the Department of Environment of Semnan in 2019, had not been seen for a long time until about 3 weeks before his death when his images were recorded after several years in our camera trap area in Touran. After the death of the cheetah and the protest of the ICS to the DoE based on suspicion about the causes of death, the DoE promised to hold a meeting to review the issue with us and independent veterinarians. The death of a young male cheetah is a serious blow to the fragile population of cheetahs in Iran. Here are all of the incidents that we heard of. Any of them may be confirmed or rejected by DoE:
- According to local reports, the cheetah had stayed in the same area for several days and could not leave. Even when the rangers arrived (Sunday morning, August 5), he remained under the trees and seemed too weak to flee.
- The images (which the Iranian Cheetah Society has and will publish with the Department of Environment’s permission) show his weakness, panting, mouth bleeding, and leech infestation.
- A veterinarian from Semnan Department came to examine him on Sunday night. On Monday morning, he was anesthetized and taken to Abbasabad station.
- His mouth and throat were full of leeches. He received serum at the anesthesia site to treat his severe anemia.
- He was moved from Abbasabad road to Miyami, towards the Cheetah Breeding Center in north Turan National Park before noon.
- No precise information is available about his transfer box and condition during the move.
- After reaching Delbar Station, he died of severe anemia and his body was sent to the Department of Environment for autopsy and investigation.
- The autopsy report and transfer operation are not yet accessible to independent reviewers.
ICS will keep following up until the issue is clear because this loss to the wild population, especially with the known decline in males, can be irreversible. Stay tuned for more news.
In May of this year, camera traps were able to record the first cheetah breeding of 2023 in the Touran National Park. This image shows Khorshid (Talkhab) with her four small cubs drinking water at a watering hole. This female cheetah was only recorded once by cameras last winter. She was born in 2016 and has had three successful births so far, all three generations of which have been recorded by cameras. This is the first time in Iran that we have witnessed three births of a female cheetah. Before that, Mana, a female cheetah from Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, had been seen twice with her cubs.
Continuous monitoring in each habitat leads to valuable results such as information on the minimum number of births that have occurred. In the case of Khorshid, we know that she gave birth to three cubs in 2019, two cubs in 2021, and four cubs this year. We also know that one of her cubs from 2019, named Telma, gave birth to four cubs in 2022.
Effective conservation of the habitat by rangers has increased security and a good abundance of prey, as a result of which we can see such images. The vast habitats of cheetahs in Iran have many difficulties and problems that can only be preserved or increased by allocating several times more resources and equipment; otherwise, the few remaining Asiatic cheetahs will be defeated by threats.
See Also:
IUCN NL: Protecting the Asiatic cheetah in Iran
Collaboration for Conservation: Sharing Study Results with Asiatic Cheetah Rangers
Effective wildlife conservation involves collaboration among various stakeholders, including park managers, rangers, researchers, etc. To achieve this goal, it is essential to share information uniformly among these different groups. The Iranian Cheetah Society has taken an important step in this direction by sharing data obtained during 2021 in Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring Program with Touran Biosphere Reserve rangers. On Monday, May 15, 2022, rangers from the protected areas of the Turan Biosphere Reserve were informed of the results of studies in which they played a role in the study. Additionally, planning for the new year was done in consultation with them.
The Touran Biosphere Reserve is located in the Anatolian Iran deserts and comprises a variety of salt, gypsum, stone, and sandy habitats. It covers both clay lowlands and mountains and reaches altitudes of more than 2,200 m above sea level. Communities in the area depend mostly on agriculture and animal husbandry.
The Touran Biosphere Reserve is the second-largest complex of protected areas in Iran, covering an area of around 1,459,506.2 hectares. The reserve is home to a variety of wildlife species, including the Asiatic Cheetah (Acinonyx jubutus venaticus), Persian Onager (Equus hemionus onager), and the sand cat (Felis Margarita thinobia). Due to its rich biodiversity and unique ecosystems, the Touran Biosphere Reserve is an important site for conservation efforts.
Recently, news has been published by various media that there are only 12 Asiatic cheetahs left in Iran. This number, quoting the deputy director of the Department of Environment, although correct, has explanations that are not mentioned in this news.
This number only applies to cheetahs that meet ALL of the following criteria:
- They are wild Cheetahs (3 Captive Asiatic Cheetahs are not counted).
- They are fully identified and have a certified identity card.
- They had identifiable and documented images that show that they are alive during 2020 and 2021.
- They are independent of the mother and can participate in reproduction as a member of an independent population.
From a scientific point of view, cubs are not counted as part of the population as long as they are not successfully separated from the mother. Therefore, the 4 newborn cubs recorded by our cameras in 2021, 3 other cubs that separated from their mother in early 2021, and Cheetahs observed in North Khorasan are also not added to this number as they still don’t have identifiable and independent images.

Asiatic Cheetah cub
It should also be noted that the above statistics are in fact “the minimum adult population identified” and do not in any way mean the exact size of the population. Carnivores are not easily seen, it is never possible to give an exact size of their population.
Iranian Cheetah Society is monitoring the Asiatic Cheetahs population for more than 10 years now.
Second Asiatic Cheetah Family Recorded in Touran Biosphere Reserve (2021)
After recording a family of three, including a mother and two cubs, earlier this summer, cameras installed in Touran National Park (Part of Touran Biosphere Reserve) captured another family of three in the early fall. The mother of this new family is known as “Harb“, who was able to raise her three cubs last year. The cubs separated from this eight-year-old mother when they became adults, and Harb was able to give birth to two cubs this year as well. Cubs appear to be healthy in the pictures. All the captured images are the result of cooperation between the Iranian Cheetah Society and the Department of Environment of Semnan Province.
The record of two families of Asiatic Cheetah in Touran raises the hope of preserving the few remaining populations of this valuable species.

Asiatic Cheetah Cub
Proof of Asiatic Cheetah presence in rangeland which ICS and IUCN NL secured for conservation
The Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS), supported by IUCN Netherlands, succeeded in evacuating livestock in 5,600 hectares of rangeland on the edge of Touran National Park. This intervention soon paid off; these photos are the first pictures of the Asiatic Cheetah’s presence in this area! Unfortunately, even though the 5,600 hectares are located in a vital part of the cheetah’s habitat in Iran, no cheetah pictures were available from this area.
[irp posts=”22791″ name=”The starting of nationwide population monitoring the Asiatic Cheetah”]
Background
Livestock evacuation from the rangelands in this area became a priority action for ICS and the Iranian Department of the Environment (DOE) in this region to protect the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah from extinction. ICS estimates that less than 30 Asiatic Cheetahs remain in the wild, all of them in Iran. ICS managed to revoke the grazing permits and installed the camera traps in this area to ensure the presence of this valuable species.
Annually, almost 80.000 livestock in more than 120 herds with 300 dogs are allowed to roam across the Touran Biosphere Reserve. However, due to drought in recent years, herds occupy the most suitable pastures and proper habitats. This makes the ungulates and their predators move to less-preferred areas during harsh winters. Besides, the wildlife is also directly affected because of many herd dogs within the area, as well as cryptic poaching efforts by herders. Poachers also find more opportunities during grazing seasons because they can pretend they are herders looking for their livestock or trying to find proper vegetation for their animals.
In fact, due to the presence of livestock higher than this arid area’s capacity, Touran Biosphere Reserve provides risky winters for the wildlife, both due to drawbacks in proper grazing habitats for the wildlife as well as much more susceptibility to the poachers due to the presence of many people inside the area.
Accordingly, several Asiatic Cheetahs have been caught/killed by people/herd dogs in recent years during their presence with their domestic animals. Also, overgrazing threatens Asiatic Cheetah’s prey with limited food resources and makes them go to higher elevations because their habitat is occupied by livestock.
Success
These recorded photos are the first pictures of the cheetah’s presence in this area. According to the identification database, they belong to identified cheetahs with the names of Telma and Fegheh. Thus, the recorded presence of these two cheetahs in the new area is now undeniable, which is a fascinating reward for the hard work of our field team.
Currently, ICS monitors all critical Asiatic Cheetah spots in Touran Biosphere Reserve using camera traps in cooperation with the Iranian DOE.
[irp posts=”22522″ name=”Creating a Livestock-Free Wildlife Refuge to Safeguard the Critically Endangered Asiatic Cheetah”]
A new Asiatic Cheetah family just discovered by our camera traps
Recently, camera traps recorded a family of three consisting of a mother and two cubs at several points in Turan National Park. The family was spotted by rangers three months ago, and new photos show the well-being of both cubs during this time. The mother of these cubs is named “Mother of Talkhab”*, a powerful cheetah who successfully raised three of her cubs in recent years. It should be noted that camera traps have also recorded other cheetahs during this period, and the result of their identification will be announced later.
Camera traps recorded these promising images in the Annual Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring Program. This year, we simultaneously assess the status of the Asiatic Cheetah population in Turan Biosphere Reserve and Miandasht Wildlife Refuge. This study will continue until mid-autumn this year. We hope to identify more families in the area by then.
The starting of nationwide population monitoring of the Asiatic Cheetah
The year 2021 is a significant year for monitoring the situation of the Asiatic Cheetah in Iran. Touran Biosphere Reserve is already known as the only habitat for breeding Cheetah habitat in Iran. Although there have not been recorded any cheetah in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge since 2019, there is evidence of moving cheetahs from Touran toward adjacent habitat. Therefore, one of the most important actions includes recording whatever is happening in the present situation of the cheetah in Iran then take immediate and proposed steps accordingly.



Last year, besides monitoring Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, camera traps were installed in some areas of Touran Biosphere Reserves. According to the significant role of Touran in the free-ranging cheetah’s fate in the habitat, installing camera traps will be done more widespread this year. The monitoring will also be done in Miandasht to avoid ignoring the study of the second cheetah’s active habitat and record the probable return of the cheetah to the area.
The installation of camera traps has been begun in June 2021 and will continue according to the priorities area. The ICS team does all these processes, including installation and checking in cooperation with the area’s professional rangers and provincial administrations. The results of this project will be published accordingly.

Rangers installing cameratrap
End of Annual “Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring Program”
Miandasht Wildlife Refuge and Touran Biosphere Reserve were the only remaining reproductive Asiatic Cheetah habitats in Iran.
Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, with 84 thousand hectares, was one of the first areas that the Iranian Cheetah Society started working on for conserving the cheetah population. However, it’s been two years since there have been any records of cheetah reproduction there.
Unlike Miandasht, Touran Biosphere Reserve with 1.5 million hectares is the only remaining area with records of cheetah reproduction nowadays, so it is crucial for conserving the only Asiatic Cheetah habitat in the world.
Therefore, the Iranian Cheetah Society started their new project in September of 2020 to include Touran beside Miandasht in the surveys and camera trap to find new individuals. However, we couldn’t do the camera trappings in Touran ourselves because of the official technicalities, so we only gave our council and taught the rangers how to use and install the camera traps.
In both areas, camera traps worked for four months until the start of 2021 that livestock moved to the areas’ edges. So, we had to remove and relocate them near the core.
Unfortunately, the results don’t show any cheetah recorded in Miandasht, which is very concerning, but there have been some cheetah records in Touran, which we are now analyzing and identifying.
Here you can see some of the photos that have been captured by the camera traps in Touran. Hope you will enjoy them.