First-ever Asiatic Cheetah cubs are born today in the captive breeding center in Iran. Mom and the cubs are healthy. This page will be updated with the most recent news.
Update 1: Two of the cubs are female. Cubs are born during a cesarean.
Update 2: All three cubs are healthy but the mother didn’t accept the cubs yet. All experts from various countries are in touch with the field team.
Since 2014, ICS launched the “Water for Cheetahs” program to tackle climate change impacts on Asiatic Cheetah habitats.
During these years, we hired a person to supply water for throughs in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge. Camel-proofing and maintenance throughs were other initiatives by ICS to fight the drought.
We know local people’s knowledge as a valuable source to enhance conservation efforts. Conservationists who seek local solutions made the most notable impact in preserving biodiversity and landscapes.
Considering this fact, we constructed 12 dams in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge during 2019. These dams intended to control seasonal floods and keep freshwater for months after winter. This water not only can be used by wildlife directly but also will strengthen vegetation behind the dam. Meanwhile, controlling floods will decrease erosion. Locals currently use this method to grow more vegetation for their livestock.
Starting the Fall, we noticed that most of these dams need maintenance to keep them working during Fall and Winter. Therefore, ICS hired a wheel loader to repair all previously constructed dams plus three dams built by locals in the past.
Meanwhile, 30Km of dirt road inside the Refuge is leveled by the loader.
This project has been funded by Stichting SPOTS, our partner in the Netherlands.
The project “Securing Touran National Park for Asiatic Cheetahs” was officially funded by IUCN NL Land Acquisition Program in August 2014. The initial goal was to lease ca. 516 km2 of Turan National Park from grazing permit owners and securing critical seasons (i.e., winter and spring) for the Asiatic Cheetah and its prey species. The project started positively but experienced a series of unfortunate setbacks along the way, which has protracted the project for years.
Ultimately, an amendment was signed by ICS and IUCN NL to authorize the relocation of the project in 2017. This relocation was supposed to help ICS focusing on work rather than corruption and conflicts. Based on the amendment, the project title officially changed to “Creating a Livestock-Free Wildlife Refuge to Safeguard the Critically Endangered Asiatic Cheetah in Northern Iran.” This project is still ongoing in ICS, which is prioritized in the yearly work plan.
Asiatic Cheetah and Dogs in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge
This year, IUCN NL celebrates the 20th anniversary of the IUCN NL land acquisition fund, which allowed over 100 NGOs to protect and connect the – often fragmented – habitats of endangered species. Stories of these local partners and their conservation efforts are presented in an extensive anniversary report. ICS has also shared its experiences during this complex project in the anniversary report.
You can download the “Anniversary report: two decades of land acquisition for conservation” from the box below.
Further reading:
Learn more about Land Acquisition Fund on the IUCN NL website
Read more about the 20th Anniversary report of land acquisition for conservation
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In this regard, alongside expressing its resolution on this topic, the ICS, as a nonprofit institution tries to clarify some vague aspects of the issue as following:
– The recent actions have taken place through the project of cheetah reproduction in semi-natural condition. A project that has a long and successful history in African countries. In Iran, for the first time, Mr. Jurabchian as project manager of the Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP), raised this issue and proceeded to fencing the area in Miandasht wildlife refuge. After that Dr. Akbari, of Natural Environment deputy of Yazd Province, and Hooman Jokar, Project Manager of the CACP, expressed their optimism about the subject.
– In 2018, Mr. Zohrabi, Natural Resources deputy of the Department of Environment (DoE) at the time, held a series of meetings with veterinarians, university professors and experts living inside the country and abroad to examine options for cheetah conservation outside the habitat. Following the analysis and the pros and cons, the DoE decided that these options should be pursued in parallel with habitat protection and that previous efforts should continue.
– Following the request of DoE, the draft proposal to setting up and managing the semi-natural reserve, which was previously prepared by Mr. Jokar in the DoE, was submitted to the ICS for completion. The ICS prepared the activity description, a schedule, etc. This plan was written in such a way that the DoE or any of its provincial administrations could implement it by themselves.
– In September 2017, the ICS planned a trip to send its experts along with the Natural Resources deputy of the time and DoE specialists to visit and observe the achievements of South Africa. The ICS tried to introduce successful conservational experiences of South Africa to DoE authorities.
– The unofficial news and information release about the process of anesthesia and the transfer of cheetahs led to the same result that the ICS had warned about. Some misinformation published on social media caused a wave of discontent and apprehension. This ambiance created a great social cost for the DoE and the project. The ICS asked its consultants (who manage 380 cheetahs in more than 70 areas across South Africa) about the quality of the box conditions and the transfer process, and they confirmed the quality of the box and the device by viewing the photos published on the Internet.
– Cheetahs of Pardisan are on a high-risk and fateful path, and it is necessary for experts, including ecologists, veterinarians, etc. to play an active role in the success of the project.
– Reproduction project in Turan National Park, considering the lessons learned by Pardisan Reproduction Center, can increase its chances for success.
– The reproduction project in Turan National Park, considering the lessons learned by Pardisan Reproduction Center, can increase its chances for success.
– From the ICS’s point of view, the ideal conditions for cheetah reproduction are at least 1,000 hectare fenced area. According to the ICS’s planning in completion of the previous CACP plan, training female cheetahs for hunting should be on the agenda.
– The ICS, in consultation with its consultant, which manages the metapopulation program in South Africa, supports the method of reproduction in multi-thousand-hectare fences located in the natural habitat called reproduction in semi-natural conditions as a necessary approach.
In the end, the ICS and the Environmental Society expect the DoE of Iran to take responsible behavior and to implement the principle of participation by seeking synergetic cooperation of experts and members of the media.
Iranian Cheetah Society in bird’s eye view (2019) :
Three thousand (3000) of each poster was published and distributed in schools, organizations, and habitats of Asiatic Cheetah by our members and audiences, the municipal administration office in Tehran helped us distributing the posters all over Tehran.
In the middle of the last year (2019) , four trainees were recruited to get experience in working in the wildlife conservation association . They participated in the first course of traineeship for six months and now they have joined and had activities to the association as experts. The Cheetah Association hopes to repeat this course to other interested volunteers in this Year 1399 .
Instruction of site selection, design, construction and management of fenced reserves for Asiatic Cheetahs in Iran:
Recent findings show that there are less than 40 Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) left in deserts of Iran. Regarding this fact, the Iranian Department of Environment(DOE) decided to deliberate options to save the last individuals of Asiatic Cheetahs in the country.
After numerous meetings, workshops, and site visits, DOE concluded that South Africa’s experience with fenced reserves might be a potential solution to save Asiatic Cheetahs. Through this period, Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) facilitated connection and information exchange between DOE and South African reserves and experts.
Meanwhile, it was so crucial to have a clear guideline before starting any constructions of fenced reserve based on global experiences on breeding Cheetahs.
There was no comprehensive and accessible instructions or manual to demonstrate steps needed to establish a fenced reserve in Iran. That was essential to have this guidance for site selection, design, construction, and management of a fenced reserve for Cheetah.
After an official request by DOE, ICS made a comprehensive survey on all available data on planning and managing the fenced reserves. All research was focused on enhancing the reproduction chance in the future reserve. Various articles, protocols, reports, books, and manuals being used to prepare the final report.
In the end, we optimized procedures and structures with local laws and Asiatic Cheetah’s ecology.
On the importance of water matters, in September of 2019, there was a chance for the experts of the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) to take a trip to South Africa with the deputy of the natural environment. We tried to get acquainted with the achievements of one of our peer organizations, and the conditions in which they were successful in “breeding” and “rearing” Cheetas. In this trip, we saw Cheetahs that have been fed by humans when they were cubs, but then after puberty, they were taught to hunt, labored in the wild, and raised their cubs. Such experiences helped us to have a more vivid vision for the semi-captive breeding of Asiatic Cheetah.
The management of water resources in cheetah habitats which have faced drought has been an issue of concern for the Cheetah association during this decade. A local person has been employed as a water supplier at the Miandasht Wildlife refuge for five consecutive years by the Cheetah association and its supporters. During the hot and dry months of the year, he is in charge of supplying water in the trough and other related duties, such as cleaning and repairing; so rangers cannot be kept from their legal and regular duties and patrol.
Another project that took place last winter at the Miandasht Wildlife refuge, and continued in this year (2019 ) , was the construction of a dam on seasonal stream route . During these two years, a total of 12 dams were built by the association. The construction of these dikes, which are based on indigenous knowledge, have duty of collecting surface water that would become flood during rain. These 12 dams help to recovery vegetation in the area beside reducing erosion and losing fresh water.
All of the water management projects that have taken place over the years have provided valuable and reliable information for association experts to present their performance and results at the annual SAWMA conference in South Africa this summer. The presentation was also interested to the audience.
Educating locals and other beneficiaries on the edge of natural habitats is one of the most effective and valuable ways of conserving habitats and wildlife. Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) corporated with the Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) and prepared for the first time “Cheetahs and Ladders” the board game in 1398. Companions who attended our educational festivals would remember this game.
It should be noted that the manufacturing of the Cheetahs and ladders board game by the corporation of ICS and CACP was targeted for kids and teens. In this project, we considered other tools for target groups of women, kids and teens, NGOs, schools, educators, and other people related to the conservation of Asiatic Cheetah. The Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) will hand out the accessories nearby the Asiatic Cheetah’s habitat in 1399.
Through the past twelve months, the Iranian Cheetah Society had focused on work in Miandsasht Wildlife Refuge in which due to its ongoing projects for cheetah conservation. We hired 2 new rangers in the area in order to help current 8 other rangers in patrols, livestock movement control, and examining wildlife tracking. The contract of this project was signed in early 2019 in attendance of the head of North Khorasan province DoE and Jajarm county governer.
Through the first contract, 2 people who were already familiar with the area and ranger responsibilities started work and increased manpower by 20%. The contract continued with only one of the 2 rangers.
The ICS bought a CRM motorcycle, repaired one of the existing motorcycles, funded fuel, and further repairs to facilitate the vehicle shortage in patrols. Read more…
Workshop for practical training and building capacities among rangers of Asiatic Cheetah reserves
In line with the objectives of ICS and following our collaboration regarding the Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Project (CACP), three workshops were held in the habitats of Asiatic Cheetah. The dates of these workshops were 28th of November, 5th, and 6th of December and the participants were rangers aiming to learn skills regarding the conservation of cheetahs.
The location of these one-day workshops were the Asiatic Cheetah Training and Research Centre in the town of Ardakan, as well as the Department of Environmental in Garmasr city and the Delbar rangers base in Turan National Park.
The participants in these workshops were from Darreh Anjir & Neybaz wildlife refuge, Siahkooh national park, Bafgh Mountain protected area, Hunting-Prohibited area of Bahabad in Yazd province, wildlife refuge of Darband Ravar in Kerman province, wildlife refuge of Naybandan in south-Khorasan province, wildlife refuge of Abbas Abad in Isfahan province, wildlife reserve of Miandasht in North-Khorasan province, Kavir national park and the Turan biosphere reserve in Semnan province.
The workshops were held to update and extend the knowledge of these rangers of Asiatic Cheetah habitat. The topics were chosen based on their usefulness for these people. For instance skills such as taking professional photos with phones, working professionally with phone GPS, spotting the tracks of carnivores in cheetah’s habitats, working with camera-traps, etc. In addition to these, some amount of information was gathered thanks to the contributions of participants.
Increasing the knowledge and the experience of rangers has a direct effect on their protection of wildlife reserves. In addition to all these advantages, their concerns and recommendations will also be shared with other people in the government.
ICS would like to thank all departments from provinces Yazd, Kerman, Semnan, Isfahan, North Khorasan and South Khorasan for their support and efforts regarding these workshops.
Re-monitoring of Miandasht’s wildlife refuge with trap-cameras reveals the worrying situation of Cheetahs’ survival. In the previous year, only one male cheetah has been photographed which sadly was deceased in a car accident later that year. Miandasht is a safe region with good resources for cheetahs but however it offers a little scope of land. Cheetahs dislocate a lot and that is a challenging matter in preserving this species. As our concern regarding the cheetah population has increased, we called upon Ministry of Environment and provincial departments to launch an urgent national re-monitoring of cheetahs program involving all relevant actors. So far provinces Khorasan Razavi, Khorasan Jonoobi and Semnan have expressed their willingness to contribute into this program. In the future, ICS will inform the audience about further news and publish more information about Cheetah’s population. Re-monitoring in Miandasht was carried out in August 2019 with the collaboration of Department of Environment of Khorasan Shomali province, Department of Environment of Jajarm city and natural guards. Spots association was the sponsor of this project.
In line with the objectives of ICS and following our collaboration regarding the Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Project (CACP), three workshops were held in the habitats of Asiatic Cheetah. The dates of these workshops were 28th of November, 5th, and 6th of December and the participants were rangers aiming to learn skills regarding the conservation of cheetahs.
The location of these one-day workshops were the Asiatic Cheetah Training and Research Centre in the town of Ardakan, as well as the Department of Environmental in Garmasr city and the Delbar rangers base in Turan National Park.
The participants in these workshops were from Darreh Anjir & Neybaz wildlife refuge, Siahkooh national park, Bafgh Mountain protected area, Hunting-Prohibited area of Bahabad in Yazd province, wildlife refuge of Darband Ravar in Kerman province, wildlife refuge of Naybandan in south-Khorasan province, wildlife refuge of Abbas Abad in Isfahan province, wildlife reserve of Miandasht in North-Khorasan province, Kavir national park and the Turan biosphere reserve in Semnan province.
The workshops were held to update and extend the knowledge of these rangers of Asiatic Cheetah habitat. The topics were chosen based on their usefulness for these people. For instance skills such as taking professional photos with phones, working professionally with phone GPS, spotting the tracks of carnivores in cheetah’s habitats, working with camera-traps, etc. In addition to these, some amount of information was gathered thanks to the contributions of participants.
Increasing the knowledge and the experience of rangers has a direct effect on their protection of wildlife reserves. In addition to all these advantages, their concerns and recommendations will also be shared with other people in the government.
ICS would like to thank all departments from provinces Yazd, Kerman, Semnan, Isfahan, North Khorasan and South Khorasan for their support and efforts regarding these workshops.
Thanks to the support of wildlife lovers and the financial backing of Raees Café and Sein Café, all the required budget to hire two rangers in the Miandasht Wildlife refuge has been raised.
These two persons will join the current official rangers in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge for six months to patrol and monitor the area.
Miandasht is one of the most sensitive reserves for the conservation of Asiatic Cheetahs specifically at the golden time of the year, namely, winter and spring when the reproduction of cheetahs is occurring. However, the entry of livestock and herder’s dogs threatens their situation. In addition, Yargholi, the known male cheetah of the reserve was killed in a road accident a few months ago. Therefore, the importance of increasing human resource and developing the protection plans of the area seem essential.
Iranian Cheetah Society hopes to continue the procedure with the help of those who concern to Iran wildlife and extend the contract of these ranges in the area.
During the stay of Vincent Van Der Merwe from Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) in Tehran, a workshop has been held to transfer the experiences of protecting the cheetahs in South Africa to the Iranian experts.
The presentation held in the Department of Environment and local DoE authorities, central DoE officers and NGOs attended in the meeting.
In this two days workshop, several subjects were discussed about the cheetah such as different approaches of conservation in the world, global experiences of ex-situ reproduction, metapopulation management in South Africa and the importance of ecotourism in conservation.
The Iranian Cheetah Society facilitated the holding of this workshop and translated the speech for the audiences and in fact, tried to gather the experts to share their ideas for a more effective conservation plan.
Vincent Van Der Merwe, a member of Endangered Wildlife Trust in South Africa and ICS’s experts were accompanied to visit one of the most important habitats of cheetahs. During this three days trip, an overall presentation was given about ICS’s projects and activities since 2001 in the area. Some of the main topics were the program of supplying water for cheetahs, repairing windpumps, a campaign for employing two rangers, surveying the impact of livestock presence in the area, and cheetah monitoring in Miandasht WR.
The visit accompanied by DoE’s managers, officers, and rangers of Northern Khorasan Province and Jajarm city.
We are grateful to translate and publish the Asiatic cheetah infographic poster in 14 languages with the help our international members and friends. The high-quality files are available to download in jpeg format in the following languages:
Persian, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Polish, Japanese, Russian, Turkish, Afrikaans
Please help us sharing the knowledge and raising awareness about the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah.
Postal Address: P.O.Box 14155-8549, Tehran, Iran
Office: Unit 2, Number 3, Jomhouri Ave, Tehran, Tehran Province
Tel / Fax: +98 (935) 2450054
Email:
info[at]wildlife[dot]ir
