Asiatic/Persian Cheetahs 101
BY FATEMEH L.
Edited by Tasneem S. G.
The Asiatic cheetah, commonly known as the Persian cheetah, is known as the fastest land animal on Earth. They are "capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 kilometers (74 miles) per hour (Phys.org 2022)". They are listed as "critically endangered" in the IUCN Red List - Iran is one of the last places they can be found... in the whole world.
Asiatic cheetahs have a number of physical features unique to the species. They have shorter legs, thicker coats, and slightly smaller heads. Their necks are also known to be more powerful compared to those of the South African cheetah (International Society for Endangered Cats 2019).
The Asiatic cheetah is very close to going extinct. In fact, it is estimated that no more than a mere twelve individuals are left in all of Iran - that is drastically less compared to just a dozen years ago, when there were still a hundred cheetahs roaming the land (RFE/RL 2022). A huge boost in increasing their population took place just a few months ago, in May of this year, when a female cheetah named Iran gave birth to three adorable cheetah cubs. The three cubs were "welcomed into the world at the Asian Cheetah Breeding Center of the Turan Biosphere Reserve in Tehran (Marples 2022)".
According to CNN, the mother cheetah, Iran, had to go through hard times when she herself was a cub - she was found and confiscated in a house, and is believed to have been in the hands of wildlife traffickers who had planned on smuggling and selling her (Marples 2022). Unfortunately, this story isn't new. In fact, wildlife trafficking is one of the top reasons - among habitat loss, scarcity of prey, drought, and hunting - that Asiatic cheetahs, and many other species, face critical endangerment.
Habitat loss is a huge factor in the decrease of this powerful creature's population. It's the same old story: humans want land. They don't care how they get it. Enough said.
This brings us to illegal poaching. As you can see in the image above, Asiatic cheetahs have lush, gorgeous coats which are lovely to look at. Unfortunately, many poachers think the same thing - so they decide to illegally kill these beauties and sell their coats for extremely high prices. Read more about illegal hunting and poaching here. Speaking of their coat, it may seem that the Asiatic cheetah's fur coat is similar to their African cousins', but they do have their differences. Their spots are more distinct, and although randomly scattered, are arranged in almost perfect rows in areas on their head and nape. Their spots also tend to be larger on their tails (World Atlas 2017).
Asiatic cheetahs are a beautiful, powerful species - and yet, they stand no chance against human destruction. They can't save themselves - we need to save them. Just a dozen individuals isn't a lot. We need to work hard to protect the existing cheetahs, and to increase their population. Otherwise... they will become another species gone down the sad drain of eternal extinction.