ISSN 1027-2992 CAT NEWS N° 46 Spring 2007 SPECIES SURVIVAL COMMISSION IUCNThe World Conservation Union Cat Specialist Group Contents CAT News 1. Editorial: Cat News - Quo vadis ............................................................3 is the newsletter of the Cat Specialist Group, a component of the Species 2. Cheetahs in Central Asia: A Historical Summary ..................................4 Survival Commission of The World 3. Launching the First Radio-Telemetry Study for Cheetahs in Iran ...........8 Conservation Union (IUCN). 4. 2nd OGRAN Meeting in Tamanrasset, Algeria ...................................12 It is published twice a year, 5. Range-wide Conservation Planning for Cheetah and Wild Dog..........13 and is available to subscribers to Friends of the Cat Group. 6. 2005 Amur Tiger Census .....................................................................14 7. Sighting of Asiatic Wildcat in Gogelao Enclosure, Rajasthan .............17 For a subscription please contact Christine Breitenmoser at 8. Sighting of Rusty-spotted Cat in Central Gujarat ................................18 [email protected] 9. Human Attitudes Towards Wild Felids in Southern Chile ...................19 Contributions, papers, press 10. First Study of Snow Leopards Using GPS Collars in Pakistan ................22 cuttings, etc. about wild cats 11. Binational Jaguar Population in the American Gran Chaco .....................24 are welcome. 12. A New Old Clouded Leopard ..............................................................26 Send news items to 13. Lifting China‘s Tiger Trade Ban Would Be a Catastrophe ..................28 [email protected], original contributions and short notes 14. Diet of Leopard and Caracal in Northern UAE and Oman ..................30 to [email protected]. 15. A Framework for the Conservation of the Arabian Leopard ...............32 Guidelines for authors are available 16. Photos of Persian Leopard in the Alborz Mountains, Iran ...................34 at www.catsg.org 17. High Elevation Record of the Manul on the Tibetan Plateau ..............35 CAT News is produced 18. Six Species of Cats Registered in a Tropical Dry Forest in Bolivia ...36 with financial assistance from 19. Indian Government Acts to Conserve Last Asiatic Lions ....................39 Friends of the Cat Group. 20. Update on the Iberian Lynx Conservation Breeding Programme ........40 21. Could Water Buffalos Facilitate Jaguar Conservation? .......................41 Editor: Peter Jackson 22. International Tiger Symposium in Kathmandu, Nepal ........................44 29 Lake Close, London SW19 7EG 23. India’s Auditor General Criticises Project Tiger .................................45 United Kingdom 24. India’s Tiger Habitat Loss ...................................................................46 Tel/Fax: ++44 (20) 89 47 01 59 <[email protected]> 25. India’s Tribal People Win Land Rights ...............................................46 26. Malayan Tiger Workshop ...................................................................47 Managing Editors: 27. Tiger Experts Dismayed at Tiger Meat on Chinese Menu ..................47 Christine & Urs Breitenmoser Co-chairs IUCN/SSC 28. South Africa Finalizes Lion Hunting Laws .........................................48 Cat Specialist Group 29. Bobcats in Central New York State .....................................................48 KORA, Thunstrasse 31, 3074 Muri, 30. Launch of India’s Project Snow Leopard ............................................49 Switzerland 31. Surprise Evidence of Leopard in Ahaggar Massif, Algeria .................50 Tel ++41(31) 951 90 20 Fax ++41(31) 951 90 40 32. Texas Landowners to Help Save USA’s Last Ocelots .........................50 <[email protected]> 33. Asian Countries Pushing Up Bobcat Pelt Prices .................................50 <[email protected]> 34. Amur Leopard Remains on the Brink of Extinction ...........................51 35. Poaching for Bin Laden .......................................................................52 Associate Editors: Adrienne (Farrell) Jackson 36. Briefs ...................................................................................................53 Brian Bertram 37. Book Reviews Keith Richmond a) Cheetah ............................................................................................54 b) Field Days: A Naturalist’s Journey through South and Layout: Christine Breitenmoser Southeat Asia ..................................................................................55 Print: Stämpfli Publikationen AG, Cover photo: A male Asiatic cheetah is held by a foot-snare, moments prior Bern, Switzerland to darting, Bafgh Protected Area, Yazd Province, Iran (Photo WCS/CACP/ ZSL/A. Ghoddoosi). 2 Spring 2007 Conserving the Asiatic Cheetah in Iran: Launching the First Radio- Telemetry Study Luke Hunter1, Houman Jowkar2, Hooshang Ziaie2, George Schaller1, Guy Balme1, Chris Walzer3, Stephane Ostrowski1, Peter Zahler1, Nadia Robert-Charrue4, Kamran Kashiri2 and Sarah Christie5 opularly considered a wholly Wildlife Refuge, Daranjir Wildlife Ref- which likely limit cheetah hunting suc- African species, the cheetah uge and Bafgh Protected Area (Fig. 1). cess. PAcinonyx jubatus once had a The ecology of the Asiatic cheetah Cheetahs are strictly protected by distribution that extended across the is poorly known. Although the species law in Iran but direct persecution by Middle East and Central Asia, extend- has been comprehensively studied in people is also a significant threat. Chee- ing north into southern Kazakhstan the open savannas of East and southern tahs are killed for sport, for profit, or and east into India. Today outside of Africa, we have only a very rudimen- for protection of livestock (Karami Africa, the cheetah has been extirpat- tary understanding of their ecology and 1992, Schaller & O’Brien 2001, Hunter ed from its entire Asiatic range except conservation biology in Iran. There are 2004). In Namibia, farmers reported for a small and critically endangered no detailed data available on movement higher livestock losses to leopard, ca- population in the Islamic Republic patterns, area requirements, habitat racal, and jackal than to cheetah, yet of Iran. Estimated at 200 animals in preferences, feeding ecology or repro- removed more cheetahs than leopards the 1970’s, the last Asiatic cheetahs ductive biology. The most recent phase (Marker 2003), partly because cheetahs are now thought to number around of the CACP-WCS project is attempting were easy to trap and kill. Although the 60-100 animals restricted to the arid to address this deficiency by embark- evidence for livestock predation by Asi- central Iranian plateau (roughly 30- ing on the first radio-telemetry study of atic cheetahs is scant, it is not unusual 35º N, 52-60º E). Asiatic cheetahs. This paper summaries for local people in Iran to confuse leop- the current threats to cheetahs in Iran, ard and cheetah (Asadi 1997). Cheetahs Iran considers the cheetah an im- and describes the objectives and early may be killed when confused for leop- portant part of its natural and cultural progress of the telemetry effort since its ards or simply because they are feared heritage and the species has become a implementation in February 2007. or despised as carnivores. A herder symbol of the country’s conservation who killed three cubs near Bafgh PA efforts. In 2001, Iran’s Department of Threats to the cheetah in Iran in 2003 claimed not to know they were the Environment (DoE) launched a 5- The key factor affecting cheetah num- cheetahs but killed them because they year initiative in conjunction with the bers in Iran is the disappearance of prey. were ‘small cats.’ Additionally, numer- UNDP-GEF program and the Wildlife Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, ous major highways and national roads Conservation Society (WCS) entitled goitered gazelle Gazella subgutturosa traverse cheetah range in Iran, including “Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah, and jebeer gazelle G. bennetti have through or adjacent to most protected Its Natural Habitat, and Associated Bio- suffered drastic declines in range and areas where the species is found. Annu- ta in the I.R. of Iran” (abbreviated as the numbers from hu- ally, at least 1-2 cheetahs are killed by ‘Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah man hunting, vehicles on roads. Project’, CACP). Between 2001 though and loss of 2006, the CACP-WCS effort empha- habitat due to sized the implementation of emergency overgrazing and measures to mitigate threats to cheetahs drought (Karami and their prey, including reducing the 1992 Asadi 1997, killing of cheetahs and ungulate species Farhadinia 2004). by people, increasing protected areas Cheetahs in Iran staff numbers and training, increasing have been observed the provision of equipment for protect- preying upon Cape ed areas, and controlling livestock num- hares Lepus capensis but bers and overgrazing in protected areas. hares may be too small to Additionally, the project has conducted sustain cheetahs (especially continual surveys to determine the dis- females with cubs) and are scarce in tribution and abundance of cheetahs, some areas of cheetah range. From op- other large carnivores and ungulates in portunistic records of carcases, urial the five protected areas identified by the Ovis orientalis and wild goat Capra ae- CACP as the most important areas for gagrus appear to form the primary prey Fig. 1. Map of Iran, showing CACP reserves. cheetahs, namely Kavir