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Servation Status of Asiatic Cheetah in Iran: a Country- Thank the Active Participation of National Experts of Asiatic Cheetah, Final Report, Tehran, Iran

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Servation Status of Asiatic Cheetah in Iran: a Country- Thank the Active Participation of National Experts of Asiatic Cheetah, Final Report, Tehran, Iran Farhadinia et al. MOHAMMAD S. FARHADINIA 1,2*, HASAN AKBARI3, MORTEZA ESLAMI1 AND MOHAMMAD In this report, we have reviewed available ALI ADIBI4,5 literature to provide a profile on the Asiatic cheetah biology and natural history. Further- A review of ecology and con- more, we have collated sporadic records of the Asiatic cheetahs to provide general de- servation status of Asiatic scription about them and to update a fairly comprehensive view of the current status of cheetah in Iran this elusive carnivore in Iran. We reviewed existing knowledge about the Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus Methods venaticus, a critically endangered subspecies which once used to live in west and We reviewed all studies conducted on the south Asia, now confined to a small population remaining in Iran. Available litera- cheetahs in Iran, including journal papers, tures, reports and hard facts such as images and films were collected to shed light university dissertations, research projects, on biology, status and distribution of the cheetahs in Iran. Unlike previous percep- newsletters, and mission reports compiled tions about the cheetah characteristics, the Asiatic cheetahs are smaller and lighter by different agencies involved in cheetah re- than their sub-Saharan African cousins. They mainly live in hilly terrains, foothills search and conservation. Also, we obtained and rocky valleys where they have access to existing range of prey in deserts. To hard facts (i.e. image or film) of cheetah fami- cope with environmental variability in drylands, they show high mobility in their lies from Provincial Offices of the Iran Depart- movement pattern, patrolling some of the largest ranges ever recorded for the chee- ment of Environment DoE to analyse cheetah tahs. On average, 2.7 (SE = 0.2, ranging 1 to 4) cubs younger than 6 months have been breeding in the country. Finally, we developed seen in each family, predominantly born in March-April. Since 2001, at least 18 areas a distribution map for the current range of the in the country are known to have evidence of cheetah presence, mostly (n = 16) of- cheetahs based on occurrence data gener- ficially protected. A joint initiative of national and international organisations has ously shared by Yazd, Kerman, Esfahan and been trying to halt major threats, particularly prey and habitat loss since 2001. How- Semnan Provincial Offices of the DoE as well ever, the subpecies remains critically endangered on the verge of extinction with a as by an ongoing monitoring programme led population of fewer than 40 individuals, occurring across approximately 242,500 km2 by the Iranian Cheetah Society ICS since 2001 (i.e. 23.2% of its historical range in Iran). Decreased breeding, retaliatory killing by (see Farhadinia et al. (2014) for more details). 18 herders and occasional mortalities due to poachers or road collisions are the major Reliability of each record individually was threats for the small population of Asiatic cheetahs in Iran. assessed by considering whether any hard evidences (e.g. photo, video, or carcass) are The Asiatic cheetah is a critically endan- Iran’s cheetahs were also rapidly disappear- present, or only soft evidences are available. gered large felid now exclusively confined to ing from most of their formerly inhabited re- We categorised hard evidences as ‘C1’, and arid environments of the eastern half of Iran gions, leaving no doubt that this enigmatic soft evidences as ‘C2’. (Farhadinia 2004, Hunter et al. 2007). During and rare large carnivore is strongly prone to the second half of the last century, the preda- extinction. As a result, several national and Taxonomy and general description tor has been experiencing drastic decline international organisations were convinced The cheetahs are traditionally classified in both in number and occupancy across most to jointly take an action to safeguard the four African and one Asiatic subspecies, of its Asian range, from India to the Arabian Asiatic cheetahs in Iran (Breitenmoser et namely as Acinonyx jubatus jubatus, A. j. Peninsula, making it the smallest remnant of al. 2009), yet virtually very little is known raineyi, A. j. soemmeringii, A. j. hecki, and any cheetah subspecies in the world (Nowell about the subspecies morphology, biology A. j. venaticus (Meester 1971). The latter has & Jackson 1996). and status. been named as the Asiatic subspecies. The classification and taxonomy of Asiatic cheetah have been extensively debated. Formerly, the Asiatic cheetahs have been identified as A. j. venaticus (Griffith 1821) and A. j. raddei (Hilzheimer 1913), the latter assigned as Trans-Caspian cheetah inhabiting Central Asia (Heptner & Sludskii 1992, Mallon 2007). Harrison and Bates (1991), Roberts (1997) and Flint (1988) believed the distinction between Asiatic and African cheetah dubious, whereas some authors proposed that this population form a single subspecies, A. j. venaticus, with North African cheetahs (Pocock 1941, Ellerman & Morrison- Scott 1966). Recent molecular studies based Fig. 1. A solitary male Asiatic cheetah at a scent tree in Kavir National Park, February on a combination of archaeozoological and 2013 (Photo Wildlife Picture Institute). contemporary samples have revealed that CATnews Special Issue 10 Autumn 2016 Asiatic cheetah Asiatic cheetahs (i.e. A. j. venaticus) are unambiguously separated from African Acinonyx jubatus venaticus subspecies some 32,000-67,000 years ago (Charruau et al. 2011). Names: IUCN Red List: In general cheetahs are described as a tawny Critically Endangered felid with spots and tear marks on their face. Yuzpalang-e-Asiayie (2015) However, inter-specific morphological varia- Asiatic cheetah CITES: tion across the cheetah global range has been Appendix I subjected to expert controversy. Heptner and Head and body length: Sludskii (1992) noted that morphological dif- 100-182 cm (males) Iran environmental ferences between African and Asiatic chee- 160-189 cm (females) conservation laws & tahs were perceptible but not marked while Tail length: regulations: it was considered that Asiatic cheetahs dif- 62-77 (males) Endangered species fer in morphology (Dareshuri 1978) from the 59-75 (females) African subspecies. Some authors proposed Weight: that the main difference between Asiatic and 25-38 kg (males) sub-Saharan African cheetahs lies in the type 23-35 kg (females) of spotting and probably in the frequency of a big white portion on the tail tip (Divyaba- Global population: nusingh 1995). Groves (cited in Karami 1992) fewer than 40 Photo ICS/DoE/CACP/Panthera described that the Asiatic cheetah seem to Iranian population: have clearer, darker “shadow spots”, more fewer than 40 clearly marked faces, more thickly spotted limbs and more marked manes in the adult Distribution in Iran: (cited in Karami 1992). Arid areas of eastern half of According to Pocock (1941), possible charac- Iran and probably parts teristics to distinguish Asiatic from African of Iran-Iraq borderland cheetahs may include a thinner, less woolly 19 winter coat, the absence of a mane, proba- bly in the summer coat; average smaller size and more inflated tympanic bullae in the vary between 23 and 35 kg, resulting in a ised by high spatial overlap with that of the Asiatic individuals. In contrast, some authors smaller body size of Asiatic cheetahs than wild sheep (Nazeri et al. 2015). believed that African cheetahs have denser the Africans (SOM T1). Besides prey, cover has also been consid- spotting and larger spots on a brighter or dark- ered to be a main deriving factor for habitat er ground colour comparing to Asian animals Habitat and ranging characterisation of the Asiatic cheetahs. with a very pale background colour, while The Asiatic cheetahs in Iran mainly live in hilly Comparison of several combinations of re- winter fur is relatively long, soft and dense, terrains, foothills and rocky valleys within a serves in Iran clearly showed that the chee- and the winter “mane” also long and dense desert ecosystem (Hunter et al. 2007, Jourab- tahs persist within a number of areas with (Heptner & Sludskii 1992). Nevertheless, Sal- chian & Farhadinia 2008). Cheetahs in central low density of gazelles, but with more het- vadori and Florio (1978) considered both of Asia inhabited semi-desert and desert plains erogeneous landscapes, such as hilly moun- fairly similar size although Asiatic cheetahs and foothills containing a range of vegetation tains and rolling terrains. In contrast, they are slightly smaller. During the past decades, types (Mallon 2007). are rarely or never known from nearby areas distinction between African and Asiatic chee- Traditionally, the Asiatic cheetah has been be- where remarkably higher gazelle density oc- tahs was noted as slightly larger body size, lieved to concentrate on plains where gazelles cur, but mostly in open flat plains (Farhadin- darker colouration, and longer fur because as their main prey species occur (Firouz 1974, ia et al. 2008). As a result, a hypothesis is of adaptation to a colder climate within the Heptner & Sludskii 1992, Etemad 1985, Har- generated that heterogeneous habitats can Asiatic subspecies range (i.e. Globers Rule; rison & Bates 1991, Ziaie 2008). Therefore, it provide more prey catchability, a key deter- Dareshuri 1978, Roberts 1997, Karami 1992). was concluded that effective recovery of ga- minant known for many large cats (e.g. lion Detailed information about the morphologi- zelle population resulted in increasing trend Panthera leo, Hopcraft et al. 2005; leopard cal characteristics of
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