Head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization: Only 17 Asian Cheetahs Remain in the World

The head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization stated that only 17 Asian cheetahs remain in the world, all of which live in Iran, and collaboration with traffic police is necessary to protect them. According to IRNA news agency, Shina Ansari explained during a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between the Environmental Protection Organization and traffic police on Sunday, March 3, that "we witness annual cheetah fatalities due to collisions with passing vehicles." This official noted that the Turan National Park is one of the most important habitats for the Iranian or Asian cheetah, located on the Abbasabad to Mashhad road, and part of the cheetah fatalities in recent years has been attributed to vehicle collisions on this road. Ms. Ansari mentioned that the traffic police, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Organization, have implemented "safe speed reduction" measures on this route, and with continued cooperation between these two organizations, it is possible to protect the valuable cheetah species and all living beings in nature. The Environmental Protection Organization has stated that there is a maximum of five years to preserve the Iranian cheetah. The head of the Environmental Protection Organization also emphasized the importance of environmental education and awareness, identifying waste disposal and sewage in nature, vehicle technical inspections, noise pollution, and polluting vehicles as other destructive environmental issues. The Iranian or Asian cheetah was once widespread across large areas of Asia but is now listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There is no precise data on the number of cheetahs in Iran, but Ali Akbar Ghorbanlou, head of Turan National Park, announced in April that the last recorded number in the park was 16 to 18 registered cheetahs. Hassan Akbari, the former deputy head of the Environmental Protection Organization, had stated in 2021 that the number of Iranian cheetahs was 12, while estimates in the late 2000s had placed the population at around 100. In recent years, multiple reports have emerged regarding the deaths of Iranian cheetahs in road accidents, with key reasons cited as the lack of speed cameras, insufficient lighting, and the absence of standard underpasses or overpasses. Breeding projects for the Iranian cheetah have also not been successful in Iran. Meanwhile, in March 2022, following the death of "Pirouz," a cheetah that was very popular in Iran, the head of the Iranian Veterinary Society accused the Environmental Protection Organization of having concealed information about the cheetah's kidney failure for nine months. About a year ago, the Environmental Protection Organization of Iran had also announced that there is a maximum of five years to preserve the Iranian cheetah.