Natural Notebook:Female Asiatic Cheetah Killed in Iran,Highlighting the Subspecies' Precarious Position

A critically endangered Asiatic cheetah,also called Iranian cheetah,was killed in a road accident in North Khorasan Province,Iran recently,the Provincial Department of the Environment announced.The loss of a female,one of the approximately 50 Asiatic cheetahs left in the wild-all of them in Iran-was especially hard to bear.She had sustained a severe spinal cord injury and died while being transported to the DOE.Several road signs in the area were apparently unheeded.The wreck caused irreparable harm to Iran's biodiversity and the conservation of a valuable species,the DOE said.*
Between 32,000 and 67,000 years ago,a new subspecies of cheetah branched off from the African cheetah and established itself from the Arabian Peninsula,the Near East and the Caspian Sea region to Pakistan and India.The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubilatus venaticus) has now been extirpated from most of its range,only occurring on the Iranian central plateau, a remote  and mountainous desert area which is sparsely populated.
The Asiatic cheetah has been shown to be genetically distinct from the African cheetah by a mitochondrial DNA study.It is morphologically distinguished from its African cousin by a smaller head;shorter legs;a thicker coat in winter,particularly on the ruff and belly,when it encounters snowfall;and a longer,more powerful neck.It preys on smaller mammals such as gazelles and hares.*
Road accidents are a major source of mortality for the Asiatic cheetah and its prey alike,with guard dogs being another significant threat.Habitat has also been fragmented by mining operations and roadbuilding.Fencing along roads is supposed to be done,but has been incompetently handled by the Transport Ministry,environmental officials complain.Cheetahs are wide-ranging,covering up to several thousand square kilometers a year.
The UN supports Iran's cheetah conservation programme,which consists of a network of 92 specially trained park wardens spread over a total of six million hectares of habitat in Central and Northern Iran.*
The Asiatic cheetah is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List,the standard conservation status reference in use among environmental professionals.