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| Farhadinia, M.S. | |
| Ecology and conservation of the Asiatic cheetah in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, Iran | |
| 2007 Full Book | |
Established in 1973, Minadasht Wildlife Refuge is the last verified cheetah habitat in Iran, which is located in northeastern country with more than 85000 hectares. The area has been one of the best ranges for the goitered gazelle before 1980s as well as the cheetah, but due to weakening of conservation actions since early 1980s, the area lost most of its gazelle population (more than 90%) and the cheetah was never seen. In winter 2002, the cheetah was reported from the area which drew the attention of the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) for more investigations in the area. The Project Asiatic Cheetah in Miandasht WR was initiated by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) in March 2003, aiming to study the cheetah status and ecology as well as its associated species inside the only plain habitat for the cheetahs in the country and increasing the awareness of local people about this critically endangered species. The project won a Small Grant from Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation in 2004 and received more supports from the Iranian Department of the Environment (DOE) as well as a few domestic and international sponsors. The project is still ongoing to monitor the cheetah population and possible dispersal to the surrounding areas as well as more public awareness efforts inside the local community around the area. On the basis of investigations, it was concluded that the cheetah was never disappeared from the area during 1980s to 2000s, but they survived inside far remote parts of Miandasht, where they occasionally encountered with local people. They usually inhabit inside the hilly terrain and try to avoid flat plains where they are traditionally believed to be their original habitat. Meanwhile, they utilize their developed camouflaging ability to approach the small bands of gazelles grazing near the hills, where they are the most susceptible to the cheetah hunting. It is estimated that a total of 6 to 10 cheetahs live throughout Minadasht. Since the area possesses less than 300 gazelles, it is logical that they need to use alternative food sources, which in respect to high abundance of hare and rodents throughout the reserve; it seems that the small size foods are now the main source of energy for the cheetahs. Moreover, occasional hunting effort on common fox, ground birds and wild boar was reported. At the same time, it was for the first time in the country that the cheetah depredation on livestock, mainly domestic sheep was approved, however, it was so rare that has created no negative attitude toward the cheetahs among the local people. Beside ecological investigations, a remarkable proportion of efforts went to increase people awareness about the cheetahs and other species of the area. The grey wolf is the main enemy of people's ownership, but since the newly known cheetah is morphologically similar to the wolves from a distance of more than several dozens meters, therefore, the people may suppose that the animal in charge of attacking to the livestock is a cheetah. Accordingly, it was necessary to initiate a public awareness campaign in order to empower the people to identify the cheetah, wolf and striped hyena. Meanwhile, since the depredation loss was not significant, it was not necessary to think about economical compensation plans in order to prevent the killing of predators. It is recommended to monitor the population demography of the cheetah and its associated species in order to ensure the animal's survival inside Miandasht and neighbor habitats where the cheetahs may disperse. As well, it is critical to launch an organized educational program to increase the local people's knowledge about the fauna of Miandasht and decrease the present conflicts. |
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