Death of a Lynx, an Endangered Species, by Tourists in Lavasanat

The Iranian Environmental Organization reported that a lynx, an endangered feline species in Iran, was killed by several tourists in the Lavasanat region of Tehran on Tuesday, April 6. According to the report, on Tuesday afternoon, a female lynx with her two approximately one-year-old cubs was passing by a river when she was attacked by tourists with stones. The Environmental Organization stated that the mother lynx attacked the tourists to defend her cubs, and they retaliated by hitting the animal with stones and sticks, causing the cubs to flee. The animal suffered from 'broken jaw, teeth, and ribs, diaphragm rupture, and ultimately internal bleeding' and died despite being transferred to a rehabilitation center by environmental forces and receiving medical treatment from specialists. The lynx is classified as an endangered species under the Environmental Organization's regulations, and the first comprehensive study on this species was conducted by the Iranian Cheetah Society in collaboration with the United Nations Wildlife Office. According to the Iranian Environmental Organization's website, there are four types of lynx in the world: Eurasian lynx, Iberian lynx, Canadian lynx, and bobcat. The Eurasian lynx is found in Iran, Russia, northern Asia, the Himalayas, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. Other lynx species are also endangered, and efforts have been made to increase their populations. For instance, in recent years, wildlife conservation groups in Spain have removed some of the last remaining Iberian lynxes from the wild for breeding and then returned them to nature. The Iranian Environmental Organization previously reported that 'many different animal species or vertebrates in Iran are currently threatened.' The organization identified 'destruction and fragmentation of the main habitats of these animals, excessive hunting and poaching, and consecutive droughts' as the main threats to these species. Meanwhile, Majid Khrazian, the director of the Wildlife and Biodiversity Office of the Environmental Protection Organization, warned on Wednesday, April 7, about the extinction risk of 87 animal species in Iran. According to Khrazian, there are 1,170 vertebrate animal species in Iran, of which 7.4 percent, or about 87 species, are listed as endangered. He cited habitat destruction, illegal hunting, and disease as reasons for the deaths of these animals. Khrazian stated that programs have been developed by the Environmental Organization to prevent the extinction of 46 animal species, including programs for the preservation of the Asiatic cheetah, black bear, brown bear, lesser white-fronted goose, yellow deer, and the Caspian turtle. In 2013, hundreds of wildlife supporters in Iran wrote a letter to President Hassan Rouhani, urging him to take preventive measures before the endangered carnivorous species faced extinction.