News 17>>

New Hope for the New Year:
A Cheetah Cub Pictured in Miandasht

Jan 18, 2005 - During the latest camera trapping efforts in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, a young cheetah was pictured indicating that the cheetahs have found the area a reliable habitat. The animal's age is estimated to be between 6-8 months, supporting the hypothesis that unlike Africa where the cheetahs breed throughout the year, the Iranian cheetahs give birth only in spring.

Based on the pictures, it seems that the animal was curious about the camera and searched around it for a few minutes. However, the sandy wind right at the night of picturing make all the shots flow. The animal was taken at 10 PM which is the second night picture of the cheetah in the area (see below news - that cheetah was pictured at 7 PM). In September and October, a cheetah cub was observed by the game guards without any other animal in companion. On the other hand, surprisingly no other cheetah (probably its mother) can be seen inside the shots. We are not sure if all the three occasions (2 sightings plus the new picture) are the same animal and if this cub is not accompanied by a mother at all. If this is true, it is a miracle that this animal has survived so far!!!