@ccaracal-blog1 You can call me Ross! This is a big cat blog, where you'll see photographs and informational posts.
[he/him pronouns]
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!
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.
Source: [x]
Today, only 40 to 70 Asiatic cheetahs remain in the world. There few kept in captivity, and in the wild, they are only found in Iran. The main threats to Asiatic cheetahs include poaching, road accidents, and prey loss. These stunning animals find themselves faced with the prospect of extinction in the near future if swift action is not taken to save them.
Please consider donating to the Iranian Cheetah Society, and/or Panthera’s Iranian Cheetah Project.
Jowkar noted that “current data suggests a population decline in the southern reserves, whereas a large population of cheetahs has been so far detected in the northern reserve, namely Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, North Khorasan province, and Touran National Park, Semnan province.” “The second phase of nation-wide population monitoring of cheetahs will allow us to compare the new data with those of older figures, so a more realistic picture of the current status of cheetahs in Iran can be drawn” Jowkar added.
The head of the Iranian Cheetah Association says the endangered feline’s numbers are still falling in Iran, despite efforts, and their situation has become more critical. Morteza Eslami told ISNA that earlier estimates pointed to a population of between 70 and 120 Asiatic cheetahs in the country but the number is now put between 40 and 70.
Please consider donating to the Iranian Cheetah Society and/or Panthera’s Iranian Cheetah Project!