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In Search for the Leopard in Baluchestan

April 2008- As one of the least known areas in Iran, Baluchistan wildlife has rarely been studied. The elusive Persian leopard seems to survive inside a several areas near the Pakistan, but no investigation has been yet conducted  about the status of this endangered animal throughout the Iranian Baluchestan. With an area of more than 700 square kilometers, the Birk Mountain Protected Area is considered as the most important habitat for the leopards in Baluchistan.

As a result of field efforts, ICS researchers have concluded an intense conflict between Baluch nomads inhabiting this area and the leopards, so that they lose at least 10 to 20 domestic goats to the cat every month. Surveying leopard’s diet in this area, remains of domestic goat, fox and some rodents have been found and according to the Baluch nomads, the species feed on wild goat, domestic goat, fox, donkey, shepherd dogs and rodents.

The most important wild prey for the leopards in this area is wild goat which is so scarce across the area.  Apparently, the population of wild preys for leopards in the area was low even before recent severe drought, so leopards kill domestic goats to feed inevitably. At present, with severe decline of nomads' livestock herds as a result of drought, leopard attack on domestic animals is more significant. Meanwhile, local nomads believe that killing the leopards may result in continuation of severe drought and due to such a conservational attitude toward the leopards, they have been able to survive until now.

Preliminary field surveys revealed that a small population of leopard live throughout the Mountain. On the basis of pugmark investigation, it seems that size of the leopards living in this area of Iran is smaller comparing to the leopards inhabiting northern parts of the country. In order to record the presence of the leopards in Birk, the species regular trails have been identified and camera traps have been set to capture this shy animal for the first time in Baluchestan. 

Adjacent to Pakistan border, the Birk Mountain Protected Area is located in 100 kilometers to Saravan in the province of Baluchistan. The highest altitude of the area is 2740 meters above the sea level and the average rainfall is about 100 millimeters annually. The landscape of this area is mainly composed of rocky mountainous range which extends around 100 kilometers in a north- south direction.

Birk Area is supposed to be one of the most appropriate habitats for the endangered leopard (IUCN 2006) in southern east of Iran. According to recent studies on the leopards in the Middle East, it is probable that the leopards of southern Iran are more similar to the leopards of Pakistan comparing to the leopards of northern Iran, so it seems that surveying on the leopards of southern east of Iran has got some priorities. Therefore, Birk is doubtlessly one of the best spots for such surveys to be done. On the other hand, regarding the high conflict between leopards and people due to killing domestic goats by the predator, it seems really crucial to study about status of the leopards in this area in order to save the species survival in Birk as well as reducing the present human-leopard conflict.

Leopard's scrape and lying site at the ridge