News 12>>

Cheetah Observed in Miandasht

Miandasht, July 22, 2004- 5 months tracking led to observing the cheetah in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge by ICS staff. It was several months since the last observation in the area that no cheetah had been seen in the area. Accordingly, the new confirmed report increased our hope that the cheetah can rehabilitate in the area

In a night expedition to capture rodent species, Reza Goljani, a field staff working on Miandasht rodents encountered a cheetah at 10 PM while pursuing a jird under the motorbike light, but the animal run away in just a few seconds. Tomorrow early morning, Mohammad Farhadinia, director of the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) while searching the transects for signs of the cheetah saw a single cheetah on a hill and was lucky to observe it through its binocular for a few minutes. It was a surprising event, because the surveys done over the past months increased the possibility that the animals have left the area because of livestock which graze the reserve in winter. 

Under a long term survey by ICS began since March 2004, Miandasht area has been monthly searching for the cheetah and its relevant species to evaluate the possible interaction between the dominant species and its impact on the cheetah. It was hypothesized that presence of livestock can result in negative impact on the cheetah population and probably make them get out of the area.  Further investigations are going to be launched with support of the US zoos to provide a comprehensive base of knowledge on the cheetah and its ecology in Miandasht.