@ccaracal-blog1 You can call me Ross! This is a big cat blog, where you'll see photographs and informational posts.
[he/him pronouns]
![Argentine scientists clone endangered Asiatic Cheetahs for first timePhoto source: [x]
“In an unprecedented feat in the efforts to protect the fastest cat, researchers from the UBA’s Faculty of Agriculture “for the first time in the world managed to...](https://64.media.tumblr.com/aa102ef91d11ea8575ceb64f9d92a835/tumblr_nu2meljAvB1tsehfno1_640.jpg)
Photo source: [x]
In an unprecedented feat in the efforts to protect the fastest cat, researchers from the UBA’s Faculty of Agriculture “for the first time in the world managed to attain an embryo for cloning,” local daily Clarin said in a report.
July 6th, 2015
The agreement between UNDP and Dana Insurance Co. will activate a form of insurance coverage provided by Dana which will mitigate threats to cheetahs by providing much-needed funding for the implementation of critical aspects of the project’s work plan.
Specifically, Dana Insurance will provide up to $15,000 to the project each time a cheetah is killed in road accidents or by herder dogs. The money thus realized will go into the project and be used to reduce the threats which killed the cheetahs in the first place. It will be awarded for a maximum of 5 cheetah kills per year.
July 3rd, 2015
Ali Akbar Qorbanlou told Mehr News local correspondent on Thursday that 5 adult cheetahs along with their 3 cubs had been spotted; “in another case, a female cheetah along with her 3 cubs of rare species of Asiatic phyla have been sighted somewhere in south of Kalateh Kiki, 3km from Biarjmand, Shahroud in Semnan desert province,” he said.
“Despite the scarcity of their prey, Asiatic cheetahs have had an incipient resilience in the region thanks to good and effective measures by the government along with public appreciation of the animal,” Qorbanlou hoped.
The Asiatic cheetah or Iranian cheetah is a critically endangered species now on the verge of extinction and an important part of Iran’s natural and cultural heritage.
It is estimated that around 8 to 10 Asiatic Cheetahs inhibit in the reservior, the official said.
Today, there are only 40-70 Asiatic cheetahs remaining in the world. Please consider donating to the Iranian Cheetah Society, or other organizations working for the conservation of this beautiful wild cat!
A Lone Persian Cheetah at Turan National Park by Aboutaleb Nadri // Mehr News Agency
Delbar before she was transferred to Pardisan Park with Koushki.
Photo + info source: Cheetahs Alive/ICS
I talk a lot about Delbar and Koushki, but I don’t believe I’ve ever told you guys about Marita. Marita was an Asiatic cheetah who lived most of her life in Pardisan Park in Tehran. On August 31, 1994, when she was a young cub, her mother led her and Marita’s two brothers into Yazd Province, desperately in search of food and water. Marita was rescued by game guards there, however, her mother and two brothers were attacked due to being seen as a threat to livestock. Unfortunately, they did not make it out alive with Marita.
For almost ten years, she lived a happy life in Pardisan Park, captivating the heart of many. She was the subject of filmmakers and wildlife enthusiasts alike, who had all flocked there to see the only captive Asiatic cheetah at the time. She passed away in 2003 at the age of nine years old.
In honor of her, August 31st in Iran has now been set aside as a special day to raise awareness of the Asiatic cheetah’s plight, named National Cheetah Day.
Rest in peace, Marita, and I promise you that this world will do all it can to save your subspecies - and Cheetahs as a whole species - before it’s too late.
Photo by: Morteza Eslami/ICS
So I just found out this is confirmed to be a photo of Koushki and wow - I can’t believe how fluffy he can get!
Kooshki, a 7-year-old male, and Delbar, a 3-year-old female, are two Asiatic cheetahs who have been in captivity in Mian Dasht Wildlife Sanctuary in North Khorasan Province and in Khar Turan National Park in Semnan Province respectively. In December, the two big cats were transferred to a research site in Tehran where they first met.
Acting on the expert advice of Sean McKeown, a foreign consultant of the Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project, Delbar and Kooshki spend three days together every 12 days.
The pair has established a very close relationship. The male cheetah seems to be enjoying the new company more than the female feline.
They are likely to have mated and there are speculations that Delbar is expecting. But, because the mating season has not finished yet, further tests and even a sonogram will be run in the presence of the foreign consultant in late March to determine whether she is pregnant.
Full Story on the Iran Front Page || Info on Koushki and Delbar
We have now started analyzing the photos and identifying the captured cheetahs. Preliminary results have confirmed that the male cheetah, who was photo-captured in 2013 and awarded the BBC Wildlife Camera-trap Photo of the Year 2014, still occurs in the reserve. The Society’s camera traps have also captured a dozen of photos of sympatric carnivores with cheetahs.