TEHRAN – An Asiatic cheetah has been spotted in the Abbassabad wildlife sanctuary in the central Iranian province of Isfahan.
“Last week, after about 14 years, the efforts of our colleagues proved to be fruitful, and three images of an Asiatic cheetah were recorded by our cameras in the Abbasabad Naein Wildlife Sanctuary,” Ahmad Reza Lahijanzadeh, managing director of the Environmental Department of Isfahan Province, said.
“In 2007, local people reported to us that they had seen a cheetah with 2-3 cubs. Then we put cameras several times in that area. Last week, while the heavy rainfall and flood had washed away the cameras, our environmental staff found a camera after several hours somewhere else nearby. Fortunately, the memory of the camera was intact with beautiful pictures of the cheetah recorded on it.”
He said that the cheetah is a male, adding that the discovery proved to them that the region is still a good sanctuary for wild animals.
Abbasabad is a village in Baraan-e Jonubi rural district, in the central district of Isfahan county.