Could the Death of a Female Asiatic Cheetah Have Been Avoided?

Asiatic cheetah

The Asiatic cheetah has and continues to be a critically endangered species in its Iranian homeland. It remains threatened by issues such as conflicts with humans, habitat fragmentation due to mining and road construction, and even vehicular accidents caused by unsafe roads and reckless drivers. A recent case involved a young female cheetah, who was severely injured in a car accident while walking across the northern fringe of Zamen-e-Ahoo National Park and Miandasht Wildlife Refuge in Iran's North Khorasan Province. The accident was reported by an environmentalist in the area, who contacted the provincial department of environment (DOE). According to Ali Motahhari, general director of the DOE, the female cheetah was still alive when the department's forces arrived at the scene but died on the way to the department due to a severe spinal cord injury. Her death is one of many that continues to decimate Iran's cheetahs. In August, a cheetah cub succumbed to its irreversible spinal cord injury after being hit by a car on the Abbasabad-Mayami road. Deputy environment chief for DOE natural environment and biodiversity doctorate Hamid Zohrabi castigated the Ministry of Roads and Transport for its ineptitude in fencing the roads to prevent cheetahs from being run over by vehicles.

An Asiatic cheetah in its natural habitat

It disturbs me very much that the Asiatic cheetah continues to remain a critically threatened species, despite various efforts being put to save it from extinction. How long should this magnificent cat wait until it can roam freely in its natural habitat while anthropogenic threats continue to persist? I find it extremely disheartening that careless drivers inadvertently continue to decimate their country's cheetah population, despite the presence of road signs warning them about the animals' presence. Had these people paid close attention to the conservationists, wildlife officials, and others involved in Iran's cheetah conservation, then pretty much all the cheetah deaths, including this young female, caused by vehicular accidents could have been avoided to some degree. But it seems to me that the people of Iran are ignorant to the fact that cheetahs are on the brink of extinction. I urge the people of Iran to wake up and join forces with their country's conservation groups, NGOs, and international organizations like the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to save the world's last remaining population of the Asiatic cheetah from extinction. Furthermore, I urge the Ministry of Roads and Transport to also team up with specialists who specialize in cheetah conservation in order to get some useful tips on how to better improve the roads that run through cheetah habitats. In addition, I firmly believe that heavy fines and stiff penalties should be imposed on anyone responsible for killing a cheetah either by vehicular accident or poaching in order to send a message to the public about the importance of protecting Iran's cheetahs. Several tribal communities living in the vicinity of protected areas housing cheetahs need to be educated about using non-lethal methods to protect their livestock from the animals or at least encourage them to settle in lands where there are no cheetahs. The Asiatic cheetah faces an uncertain future and unless the people of Iran become actively involved in the conservation of this cat, it would probably once again make a successful comeback from close to extinction.

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