Felidae is participating in a ground-breaking project to save the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah. In the first detailed ecological study of cheetahs in Asia, researchers are working in central Iran to capture six of the animals, fit them with lightweight GPS tracking collars, and release them back into their habitat.

To date, two animals have been collared, both in the Bafgh Protected Area of Yazd Province. The feedback from the collars will provide insight into the cheetahs’ movements between reserves—vital information that can help scientists protect their habitat and stave off extinction.

In Dire Straits

Asiatic cheetahs, a sub-species of cheetahs, once inhabited the Asian continent from India and Pakistan to the Red Sea. Now scientists estimate that less than 100 animals may exist on the entire planet—clearly, they’re in jeopardy of disappearing forever.

The remaining small, isolated populations live in the arid regions of Iran. Multiple factors are working against their survival: Development and agriculture have encroached on their habitat, with grazing livestock causing near-desertification in some areas. And in the years following Iran’s 1979 revolution, the country experienced a devastating loss of cheetahs and their prey—goitered and jabeer gazelles—through illegal hunting. Although killing a cheetah is strictly forbidden in Iran, people continue to hunt them—for sport, for profit, and to prevent the animals from eating livestock.

An International Effort

Recognizing that the situation is critical, Iran’s department of the environment (DoE) brought together multi-national partners to help in preserving the Asiatic cheetah, which has long occupied a significant place in Iranian culture. In some sense, the health of the cheetah population has become symbolic of the country’s overall efforts to restore its environment and preserve biodiversity.

For the collaring project in Iran, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) works with the Iranian Department of Environment's CACP unit, the Zoological Society of London (which provided the GPS collars), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Felidae Conservation Fund (which is providing financial support for the capture effort).

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A Long History

As illustrated in historic Asian paintings, Akbar, The Mughal Emperor of India, is believed to have owned 1,000 cheetahs at once.