08/31/2009

Rare sighting of a coalition of Asiatic cheetahs

Right on cue to coincide with the single day dedicated to them, a coalition of 4 adult Asiatic cheetahs are sighted in Iran's Semnan Province.

The spotted speedsters have dwindled in numbers over the decades and, whereas they used to roam vast plains of Asia from the Arabian Peninsula to Iraq, then across Iran to the Indian Subcontinent (where Akbar the Great is reputed to have kept 10,000 of them), now only about a hundred of them hang on to life in Iran.

Poaching, human encroachment, loss of habitat, and lack of food have all played a part in making them a very endangered species, which is why the two rangers who sighted the fast cats in a Turan nature reserve were so excited.

"These 4 cheetahs were sighted over the recent days by Nader Karami and Hassan Qazinezhad, who are among the rangers in this reserve," said the Managing Director of the Semnan Province Environment Organization, Hossein Ali Ebrahimi-Karnami.

"The cheetahs were observed by a spring just after feeding, and we have taken 36 photos of them," he boasted.

Ebrahimi-Karnami explained that it is rare to see four adult cheetahs together, and said: "The construction of a watering place in this reserve is among the important factors in restoring [the numbers] and observing these cheetahs in one place."

Thankfully, the efforts of the Environmental Organization is bearing fruit, since, according to Ebrahimi-Karnami, "From the beginning of this [Iranian] year (starting March 21) the rangers at Turan have managed to have at least 27 sightings of this valuable animal," reported Ettela'at newspaper today.

According to environmental experts, the photos of these cheetahs indicate a high level of safety for the cheetahs in the areas and the abundance of prey for them, such as the Persian and Jabeer gazelles, wild sheep and rabbits.

The Asiatic cheetah is closely related to its African cousin, and is the fastest land animal, reaching an amazing 113 km/h (70 mph). The body length of an adult is usually from 112 to 135 cm (44 to 53 inches), and it weighs 34 to 54 kg (75 to 119 lbs).

As recently as the first half of the 20th Century, four of the so-called big cats roamed Iran, including tigers and lions. But, now only cheetahs and leopards remain.
Tags: asiatic cheetahs, asiatic cheetah, asiatic cheetahs iran, asiatic cheetahs semnan
Source:
   PressTV