Cheetahs in fight for survival

DEPICTIONS of lions and cheetahs appear in centuries-old Persian carpets; the ‘Chelsea Carpet’ in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum is a fine example.

Known as Iran since the fall of the Shah, Persia is famous for its carpets and its cats.

The government there blames economic sanctions imposed by the West for shortcomings in protecting its wildlife. The regime has agreed to curb uranium enrichment in the hope that sanctions will be lifted. If they are, it will be welcome news for Iranian big cats.

The Caucasian leopard, though classified as ‘endangered’, seems to be holding its own, but a recent survey showed that cheetah numbers are low. Reserves have been established but illegal hunting, habitat destruction, collisions with vehicles and persecution by farmers take a relentless toll. Will the critically endangered cheetah suffer the fate of the Caspian tiger and Asiatic lion, which so inspired the great carpet makers? The Caspian tiger lived in forests from the Middle East to China. One of the biggest cats ever to have existed, it survived in Turkey until the 1970s. Last seen in Iran in 1958, this unique subspecies is now extinct everywhere. The loss is particularly tragic as there are no Caspian tigers in zoos from which a wild population might be re-created.

The Asiatic lion once roamed Iran; the ‘lion and sun’ emblem appeared on the national flag until the revolution of 1979. Not everyone, however, loved the king of beasts. In 1963, a mother and her four cubs were hunted down and shot in their cave in the Fars Province. The male had already been killed. The destruction of the country’s last pride of lions was celebrated in the Iranian media. Timely intervention by the Nawab of Junagal saved the last few Biblical lions in India. Apart from animals in zoos, including Dublin’s, Asiatic lions survive only in the Gir Forest of Gujarat.

The ancient Egyptians kept cheetahs as pets, training them to take part in hunts. The fastest creature on four legs was found from southern Africa to India, but its range has shrunk relentlessly. There are about 10,000 left south of the equator, most of them in Namibia. Some survived in India into the 20th century. There may still be a few in Pakistan, but the only remaining Asiatic population of any significance is Iran’s.

The cheetah evolved from a puma-like stealth hunter about five million years ago. Like its ancestor, this is an ambush predator. Pumas and leopards creep to within a few metres of their victims before pouncing, but a cheetah can accelerate to 100km/hr in less than three seconds and reach 130km/hr over distances of up to 300m, drawing 120 breaths per minute through extra large nostrils.

The main prey item in Iran is a type of wild sheep, for which cheetahs compete with wolves and hyenas. Unusually for cats, males can form coalitions, hunting cooperatively. Intruding males are attacked and driven from a territory. Females are not territorial. Siblings within the same litter may have different fathers. Mothers hunt alone, except when teaching their cubs to stalk.

This hunting method requires expanses of open terrain with sufficient cover for cheetahs to creep up on their prey. A male’s territory may extend to 150km2 but home ranges of 1,500km2 have been recorded in Namibia. Closed parks don’t always suit cheetahs; unless a reserve is very large, it may be too confined for them to hunt effectively. Protection measures also favour the animals which compete with cheetahs for food or take their cubs. NThey are difficult to breed in zoos, although Fota Wildlife Park has an excellent breeding record.

Despite economic sanctions the Iranian Cheetah Society, based in Tehran, obtained and set up camera traps in cheetah habitats over the last year. Passing animals trigger the cameras and there is usually sufficient detail in the photographs to identify individuals. The results have now been analysed. It’s estimated that between 40 and 70 cheetahs remain in Iran.