The Asiatic cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, is one of the world’s most endangered big cats. Its last remaining wild population is found almost exclusively within Iran. This highlights Iran’s unique role in its survival, as its numbers continue to dwindle.
The Asiatic Cheetah’s Identity
The Asiatic cheetah is a distinct subspecies, genetically separated from its African relatives for tens of thousands of years. It has unique physical characteristics adapted to Iran’s arid and semi-arid landscapes. These cheetahs are slightly smaller than their African counterparts, with a paler, fawn-colored to buff-colored coat and a thicker fur.
Two distinct black “tear marks” run from each eye down to the jawline, but these stripes are often thicker in the Asian species. Their heads are comparatively smaller, and their legs are shorter than African cheetahs. The Asiatic cheetah also has a more powerful neck and a relatively smaller mane compared to African cheetahs.
Decline and Remaining Habitat
Historically, the Asiatic cheetah’s range spanned vast areas across the Middle East, Central Asia, and India, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Russia, and Afghanistan. Today, its distribution is severely restricted, primarily to fragmented pockets in central-eastern Iran, such as the Touran Biosphere Reserve and Khar Turan National Park. Some reports indicate the worldwide Asiatic cheetah population is fewer than 20 adults, with the most recent and specific data suggesting only 12 known individuals remain in the wild.
The drastic decline of this subspecies stems from multiple human-caused factors. Habitat fragmentation and loss are significant threats, driven by human development like agriculture, mining activities, and the expansion of infrastructure, including roads. Roads dissecting their remaining habitat force cheetahs to cross, leading to vehicle collisions, which account for a substantial portion of cheetah deaths; between 2005 and 2011, over 40% of cheetahs killed in Iran were due to cars, and more recently, 52% of recorded cheetah deaths are attributed to road accidents.
Another major driver of decline is the severe depletion of natural prey species, such as gazelles, wild sheep, and ibex, often due to poaching and competition with livestock. When these prey populations diminish, cheetahs face starvation and reduced reproductive success. Direct human-wildlife conflict further exacerbates the issue, with retaliatory killings by herders protecting their livestock and attacks by livestock guardian dogs contributing to cheetah mortality.
Protecting the Rarest Cheetahs
Conservation efforts for the Asiatic cheetah in Iran involve various initiatives, primarily led by the Iranian Department of Environment (DOE) in collaboration with international organizations like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Wildlife Conservation Society. These programs focus on establishing and managing protected areas, such as the Touran Biosphere Reserve and Dareh Anjir Wildlife Refuge, which are among the last strongholds for the species. Efforts include removing human activities like livestock grazing from core protected areas, establishing water resources, and improving park management.
Anti-poaching measures are also in place to safeguard the remaining cheetahs and their prey base. Community engagement programs aim to reduce human-wildlife conflict by fostering coexistence with local communities and herders, often involving local rangers. Public awareness campaigns are implemented to highlight the cheetah’s plight and garner support for its conservation.
Despite these efforts, significant challenges persist. Limited funding due to international sanctions on Iran hampers conservation activities, making it difficult to acquire necessary equipment or transfer money for projects. The vast and remote nature of their habitat, spanning over 140,000 square kilometers across Iran’s central plateau, makes effective monitoring difficult. Furthermore, the extremely small and isolated population size creates a severe genetic bottleneck, threatening the subspecies’ long-term survival even if external threats were removed.