Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring
In 2012, we launched a country-wide critically endangered Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) monitoring program, by targeting some of the key cheetah reserves in northeastern and south-central Iran We have used remote camera trap photography to document the presence of the elusive cheetahs, and to reveal the abundance and population dynamics of these fragile cheetah population in their last stronghold. In addition, we are using camera trapping techniques to explore the connectivity of these seemingly isolated cheetah patches. Our country-scale cheetah program has so far provided invaluable information about the movement, reproduction and population size of the Asiatic cheetahs, which can form the basis for developing an updated conservation planning of the subspecies in collaboration with the Iran government and other active NGOs.
