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Discovery of ancient earthenware
April 12, 2014
An earthenware crockery, belonging to the Parthian period, was discovered
in the archeological site of Sialk Hill in Kashan, Isfahan province.
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Persian cheetah conservation promising
By Sadeq Dehqan & Katayoon Dashti
A
siatic cheetah is one of the species on the verge of extinction. Currently, its
only habitat is in parts of Iran.
This animal used to live in parts of Africa, Central Asia and the Indian
subcontinent. But, today with the sharp drop in its population, only a few live in
central plains of Iran.
At present, the Department of Environment and the United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) are implementing the project to preserve Asiatic cheetah due to
its importance for wildlife and the environment.
The project seeks to preserve the remaining Asiatic cheetahs in Iran.
The use of the Persian cheetah’s image on the dresses of Iranian soccer players
in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil shows the firm determination of Iran for
preserving this rare species.
Esmaiel Kahrom, a zoologist and environmental expert, believes that Iranian
cheetah will not face the same fate as the Iranian lion and tiger. It will be preserved for the next generations as a symbol of Iranian land.
Iran Daily interviewed Kahrom in this regard. Excerpts follow:
tlement.
Cheetah’s habitat is flat desert. Therefore, the animal faces less restriction when
it runs fast.
But the sudden increase of human population in India led to people’s encroachment on the cheetah’s habitat. So, the species became extinct in India.
How does cheetah hunt?
This wild animal lurks in a corner and approaches its prey by treading softly and
then hunts the prey quickly.
Cheetah holds the prey, suffocates it with a throat clamp and eats it.
The species’ record for speed is 110 km. But cheetah does not need to run so fast
since its prey, gazelle, runs at a speed of 70 km per hour.
Do you consider the number of cheetahs adequate for reproduction?
If we even estimate their numbers to be 150, it is not enough for proper genetic
mixing. Therefore, the number should rise to 2,000.
Also, the habitats of Persian cheetah are far from each other.
There are 5-10 cheetahs in every habitat. This is an obstacle to their proper genetic mixture.
What are the threats facing the Persian cheetah?
The main prey of cheetah is deer, which lives in plains and deserts. Many
plains have been used by shepherds for sheep grazing in recent years and the
numbers of deer have decreased. Hence, cheetahs go to elevated areas and hunt
rams and goats.
This has created threats because they may be killed by shepherd dogs. On the
other hand, they may enter the leopard’s habitats and could be killed by them.
IRAN DAILY: Please explain the characteristics of Iranian cheetah compared to those of other predators.
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.
Its teeth are small compared to tiger, which has eight-centimeter teeth or leopard that has six-centimeter teeth.
Cheetah has large passages inside its nose, which help it breathe better and
smell better while running.
Rulers and kings used to tame cheetah like a dog for hunting gazelle.
Does cheetah attack humans? Why is it unable to confront dogs and leopards?
A cheetah never attacks human beings. Since it has a small body with average
weigh of 40 kg, it cannot defeat dogs and leopards.
As an environmentalist, what do you think about the use of cheetah’s image by Iranian soccer players in the 2014 World Cup?
This will improve public awareness about the importance of preserving Persian cheetah. The measure has caused the world to know the status of cheetah in
the wildlife of Iran and the world.
How can we identify Persian cheetah from the African species?
The Persian cheetah has tear lines running from each eye to the mouth. But, the
African cheetah does not have such a line. On the other hand, the Persian cheetah’s tail is black at the bottom. It has ticker spots.
Why has this species become extinct in other parts, except Iran?
In addition to Iran, this precious species existed in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Iraq and even North Africa in the past. But due to its abundance in Asia, it came to
be known as Asiatic cheetah. However, the species gradually disappeared from
Asian habitats, except Iran.
Since Iran is the only habitat of this species, it is called Persian cheetah.
Overhunting and loss of habitat are major factors behind its extinction from
other regions. This wild animal usually lives in habitats that have no human set-
Pakistan.
No precise cheetah census has been taken in Iran. Some experts estimate the
number of Persian cheetahs at 50-70. But given the number of cheetah’s footprints
and feces as well as pictures, I guess the number exceeds 150.
If the number is lower, nobody can easily sight them, because cheetahs hide
themselves from prey and other predators.
Please explain the cheetah diffusion rate in Iran.
There are 20 cheetah habitats in Iran such as Khartouran Desert in Semnan province, Naibandan in South Khorasan and Dasht-e Kavir (central desert) of Iran.
The central province of Yazd is one of the major habitats of Persian cheetah. It
also inhabits regions surrounding Bafq and Darreh Anjil.
The Iranian cheetah also lives in southeastern regions along the borders with
What should we do for Persian cheetah to not face a fate similar to that of
the Iranian lion and tiger?
The Persian cheetah will not face such a fate. The Iranian lion was last spotted
in 1945 and the Mazandaran tiger has not been sighted since 1943.
In the past, wild animals were regarded as a nuisance and intruder. Currently,
people are eager to preserve these species. So, the Persian cheetah is luckier than
the Iranian lion and Mazandaran tiger.
Also, the culture of preserving Persian cheetah should be promoted, particularly
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 historical 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 enterprise; travelers moved heavily and slowly on horseback,
camels and mules, and wrote their experiences of the
visits,” he said.
“Nasser Khosrow was such a traveler and the most quintessential of travelers who penned down his experiences. Today,
travelling is easy and documenting experiences even easier,
and it is not limited to only the experiences of travel.”
Dabirinejad stressed that writing virtual travelogues is important and necessary.
“With the advent of mass communication technology and
the plethora of ways of recording experiences and even videos
and audios, preparing a travelogue is a matter of minutes,” he
said.
He also said that by taking a virtual tour, one could publish
one’s views online.
“In the distant past, travelers such as Nasser Khosrow required a complete and detailed description of a place to create
an informative piece. Now, films could best feature a place or
an event in the best possible way,” he said.
The festival, which will be held during June 7-17, would be
in two sections,” he said, adding that the first section includes
writings, photos, films, audios and blogging.
Dabirinejad noted that the special section hosts Children’s
Section, New Year travelogues and tour workshops.
A tour of Tehran will also host participants where they
would record their experiences through photos and writings,
and participate in the festival.