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Dear Friend of Panthera,
This week, National Geographic magazine published extraordinary new images of one of the rarest cats on earth, the Asiatic cheetah. There are fewer than 100 of these unique cheetahs remaining, scattered only across the vast, arid interior of Iran.
I have been traveling to Iran since 2004 and have still never seen a wild cheetah there. I've come close on a few occasions- fresh kills, tracks literally minutes old, and I once assisted my Iranian colleagues rescuing an illegally captured cub from a remote desert town. But Iran's cheetahs are as elusive as they are imperiled.
National Geographic's wonderful photos are testament to 11 years of intensive conservation work by the Iranian Department of Environment (DoE). Under its ambitious "Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project" (CACP), the Department established specially protected cheetah reserves and outfitted them with the necessary guards and equipment to make these areas safe havens for cheetahs.
This was followed by the first scientific surveys of cheetahs (assisted by Panthera and the Wildlife Conservation Society), with intensive training provided by our scientists. Today, the project has completed 24 extensive camera trap surveys. In 2001, only five sites were known to harbor cheetahs; today we now have evidence of them in 15 large landscapes. And the most recent efforts have uncovered exciting evidence of breeding- fabulous photos of cubs- in 10 of the 15 sites.
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A camera trap photo of a mother with 3 cubs at a well in Miandasht Reserve, Iran
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These recent findings are hopeful, showing us that female cheetahs are now sufficiently secure to breed- strong validation of the commitment of the DoE and the tremendous efforts of dedicated Iranian cheetah guards. Under difficult, dangerous and isolating conditions, these local guards continue to protect cheetahs and their prey from persecution. They are the custodians of this last tiny population.
Panthera has been working with the CACP since my first visit to Iran in 2004 and we are one of very few international groups able to cooperate on conservation inside Iran. On each of my visits, I have come gradually closer to seeing a live Asiatic cheetah in the wild. Even if that never happens, I know that the work of the CACP means that the cheetahs are out there, and I know they will persist. That is why I'm asking you to please help Panthera continue to provide critical support and training to conserve the last Asiatic cheetahs on earth.
Donate to the Iranian Cheetah Project
Thank you for your generous support,
www.panthera.org
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