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Farhadinia, M.S.; Akbari, H.; Eslami, M.; Adibi, M.A.
A review of ecology and conservation status of Asiatic cheetah in Iran
2016  Cat News Special Issue (10): 18-26

We reviewed existing knowledge about the Asiatic cheetah _Acinonyx jubatus venaticus_, a critically endangered subspecies which once used to live in west and south Asia, now confined to a small population remaining in Iran. Available literatures, reports and hard facts such as images and films were collected to shed light on biology, status and distribution of the cheetahs in Iran. Unlike previous perceptions about the cheetah characteristics, the Asiatic cheetahs are smaller and lighter than their sub-Saharan African cousins. They mainly live in hilly terrains, foothills and rocky valleys where they have access to existing range of prey in deserts. To cope with environmental variability in drylands, they show high mobility in their movement pattern, patrolling some of the largest ranges ever recorded for the cheetahs. On average, 2.7 (SE = 0.2, ranging 1 to 4) cubs younger than 6 months have been seen in each family, predominantly born in March-April. Since 2001, at least 18 areas in the country are known to have evidence of cheetah presence, mostly (n = 16) officially protected. A joint initiative of national and international organisations has been trying to halt major threats, particularly prey and habitat loss since 2001. However, the subspecies remains critically endangered on the verge of extinction with a population of fewer than 40 individuals, occurring across approximately 242,500 km2 (i.e. 23.2% of its historical range in Iran). Decreased breeding, retaliatory killing by herders and occasional mortalities due to poachers or road collisions are the major threats for the small population of Asiatic cheetahs in Iran.

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