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Faizolahi, K.
Tiger in Iran - historical distribution, extinction causes and feasibility of reintroduction
2016 Cat News Special Issue (10): 5-13
A historical range for the extirpated Caspian tiger _Panthera tigris virgata_ in Iran, and close to Iran border in adjacent countries, is constructed based on records extracted from scientific literature as well as from travel journals from 17th century to first half of the 20th century. The records were classified into three categories of reliability, depending on the accuracy of identification and the precision of locality. The historical range is potentially open to re-introduction, and as new molecular research established, Amur tiger could be used as a stock to repopulate tiger in its former range from Central Asia to the Caucasus. However, Caspian tiger habitats in Iran have changed dramatically in the last century, and the main causes of its extinction are now at least as effective as before. If any potentially suitable habitat appears in feasibility studies, a long phase of preparation, beneficial to all wildlife, is needed before reintroducing tiger to land it disappeared from more than half a century ago.
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