April 12, 2014 Discovery of ancient earthenware An earthenware crockery, belonging to the Parthian period, was discovered 6 in the archeological site of Sialk Hill in Kashan, Isfahan province. Iranica

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By Sadeq Dehqan & Katayoon Dashti tlement. Pakistan. Cheetah’s habitat is flat desert. Therefore, the animal faces less restriction when No precise cheetah census has been taken in . Some experts estimate the siatic cheetah is one of the species on the verge of extinction. Currently, its it runs fast. number of Persian cheetahs at 50-70. But given the number of cheetah’s footprints only habitat is in parts of Iran. But the sudden increase of human population in India led to people’s encroach- and feces as well as pictures, I guess the number exceeds 150. A This animal used to live in parts of Africa, Central Asia and the Indian ment on the cheetah’s habitat. So, the species became extinct in India. If the number is lower, nobody can easily sight them, because cheetahs hide subcontinent. But, today with the sharp drop in its population, only a few live in themselves from prey and other predators. central plains of Iran. How does cheetah hunt? At present, the Department of Environment and the United Nations Development This wild animal lurks in a corner and approaches its prey by treading softly and Do you consider the number of cheetahs adequate for reproduction? Program (UNDP) are implementing the project to preserve due to then hunts the prey quickly. If we even estimate their numbers to be 150, it is not enough for proper genetic its importance for wildlife and the environment. Cheetah holds the prey, suffocates it with a throat clamp and eats it. mixing. Therefore, the number should rise to 2,000. The project seeks to preserve the remaining Asiatic cheetahs in Iran. The species’ record for speed is 110 km. But cheetah does not need to run so fast Also, the habitats of Persian cheetah are far from each other. The use of the Persian cheetah’s image on the dresses of Iranian soccer players since its prey, gazelle, runs at a speed of 70 km per hour. There are 5-10 cheetahs in every habitat. This is an obstacle to their proper ge- in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil shows the firm determination of Iran for netic mixture. preserving this rare species. Esmaiel Kahrom, a zoologist and environmental expert, believes that Iranian What are the threats facing the Persian cheetah? cheetah will not face the same fate as the Iranian lion and tiger. It will be pre- The main prey of cheetah is deer, which lives in plains and deserts. Many served for the next generations as a symbol of Iranian land. plains have been used by shepherds for grazing in recent years and the Iran Daily interviewed Kahrom in this regard. Excerpts follow: numbers of deer have decreased. Hence, cheetahs go to elevated areas and hunt rams and . IRAN DAILY: Please explain the characteristics of Iranian cheetah com- This has created threats because they may be killed by shepherd dogs. On the pared to those of other predators. other hand, they may enter the ’s habitats and could be killed by them. KAHROM: Iranian cheetah is a feline with the body of a dog and a cat-like head. It runs faster than any other land animal. Does cheetah attack humans? Why is it unable to confront dogs and leop- Its teeth are small compared to tiger, which has eight-centimeter teeth or leop- ards? ard that has six-centimeter teeth. A cheetah never attacks human beings. Since it has a small body with average Cheetah has large passages inside its nose, which help it breathe better and weigh of 40 kg, it cannot defeat dogs and . smell better while running. Rulers and kings used to tame cheetah like a dog for hunting gazelle. As an environmentalist, what do you think about the use of cheetah’s im- age by Iranian soccer players in the 2014 World Cup? How can we identify Persian cheetah from the African species? This will improve public awareness about the importance of preserving Per- The Persian cheetah has tear lines running from each eye to the mouth. But, the sian cheetah. The measure has caused the world to know the status of cheetah in African cheetah does not have such a line. On the other hand, the Persian chee- the wildlife of Iran and the world. tah’s tail is black at the bottom. It has ticker spots. What should we do for Persian cheetah to not face a fate similar to that of Why has this species become extinct in other parts, except Iran? the Iranian lion and tiger? In addition to Iran, this precious species existed in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, The Persian cheetah will not face such a fate. The Iranian lion was last spotted Iraq and even North Africa in the past. But due to its abundance in Asia, it came to Please explain the cheetah diffusion rate in Iran. in 1945 and the Mazandaran tiger has not been sighted since 1943. be known as Asiatic cheetah. However, the species gradually disappeared from There are 20 cheetah habitats in Iran such as Khartouran Desert in Semnan prov- In the past, wild animals were regarded as a nuisance and intruder. Currently, Asian habitats, except Iran. ince, Naibandan in South Khorasan and Dasht-e Kavir (central desert) of Iran. people are eager to preserve these species. So, the Persian cheetah is luckier than Since Iran is the only habitat of this species, it is called Persian cheetah. The central province of Yazd is one of the major habitats of Persian cheetah. It the Iranian lion and Mazandaran tiger. Overhunting and loss of habitat are major factors behind its extinction from also inhabits regions surrounding Bafq and Darreh Anjil. Also, the culture of preserving Persian cheetah should be promoted, particularly other regions. This wild animal usually lives in habitats that have no human set- The Iranian cheetah also lives in southeastern regions along the borders with near their habitats. Writing travelogues helps boost cultural tourism

Writing travel books helps boost cultural tourism burgeon, secretary of the Tthird Nasser Khosrow Travelogue Writing Festival said. Reza Dabirinejad also told Mehr News Agency that writing travelogues helps travelers record data of different places. “It could also help introduce natural, cultural and histori- cal places, and improve public awareness about traveling,” he said. Dabirinejad maintained that travelling was a special type of experimenting with different time and geography. “There was a time when travel was a difficult enter- prise; travelers moved heavily and slowly on horseback, and mules, and wrote their experiences of the visits,” he said. “Nasser Khosrow was such a traveler and the most quintes- “In the distant past, travelers such as Nasser Khosrow re- sential of travelers who penned down his experiences. Today, quired a complete and detailed description of a place to create travelling is easy and documenting experiences even easier, an informative piece. Now, films could best feature a place or and it is not limited to only the experiences of travel.” an event in the best possible way,” he said. Dabirinejad stressed that writing virtual travelogues is im- The festival, which will be held during June 7-17, would be portant and necessary. in two sections,” he said, adding that the first section includes “With the advent of mass communication technology and writings, photos, films, audios and blogging. the plethora of ways of recording experiences and even videos Dabirinejad noted that the special section hosts Children’s and audios, preparing a travelogue is a matter of minutes,” he Section, New Year travelogues and tour workshops. said. A tour of Tehran will also host participants where they He also said that by taking a virtual tour, one could publish would record their experiences through photos and writings, one’s views online. and participate in the festival.