Habitat destruction, poaching endanger Asiatic black bear

TEHRAN – The Asiatic black bear, living in southeastern Iran and known “mam” in the Baluchi language, has biological, aesthetic, scientific, and educational values, but is being pushed towards extinction due to habitat degradation and illegal poaching.

By Faranak Bakhtiari

SOS FOR NATURE: biodiversity at unprecedented danger

TEHRAN – The World Wide Fund for Nature has recently published its 2020 Living Planet Report, warning that biodiversity which is fundamental to human life on earth, is being destroyed by us at an unprecedented rate in history.

20% of Persian Gulf’s aquatic species to be extinct in 80 years: expert

TEHRAN – Studies show that as the current environmental issues continue, by the end of the century, about 20 percent of native species in the Persian Gulf will be extinct and 10 percent of new species that might be invasive will replace them, coordinator of the Regional Organization for the Protection of Marine Environment (ROPME) has stated.

Iranian on round-the-globe camelback journey hoping to save the animal from extinction

TEHRAN – Mohammad Amiri-Roudan, an Iranian traveler and athlete, who has commenced a journey across the globe on camelback, aims to draw worldwide attention to the Iranian Bactrian camel, which he says, is on the verge of extinction.

By Faranak Bakhtiari

Will the world’s fastest Asiatic cheetah outrun extinction?

TEHRAN – Although Iran is the only country which can save the precious species from disappearance, conservation projects fall into a single solution of captive-breeding. Cheetah’s captive-breeding is not necessarily an inefficient plan, nonetheless concerns come up from recent unsuccessful projects. Will the endangered beauty surpass its unknown fate and escape extinction?

Female Asiatic lion to join male companion in Iran

TEHRAN – Iran will play host to a female Asiatic lion from Ireland to accompany the recently returned male lion under a population management program aiming at endangered species reproduction by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), a veterinarian at Eram Zoo has said.

Euphrates softshell turtle threatened with extinction in Iran

TEHRAN – Euphrates softshell turtle is endangered in the country mainly due to habitat loss and low precipitation, environmental expert Asghar Mobaraki told YJC on Friday.

‘Four bird species on the edge of extinction’

TEHRAN – An ornithology expert, Alireza Hashemi, has warned that four bird species are on the verge of extinction in Iran, driven by the destruction of natural habitats, hunting, and other destructive human actions.

By Faranak Bakhtiari

Iran’s precious crown imperial on the brink of extinction

TEHRAN – The fascinating crown imperial (fritillaria imperialis), precious part of Iran’s botanical richness, is being pushed to the brink of extinction due to inappropriate herbivory, overgrazing, land use changes, illegal bulb and flower harvest, road construction, mining activities and drought.

150 animals in danger of extinction in Iran

TEHRAN — There are 1,200 species of animals existing in Iran, of which 150 are on the verge of extinction, an official with Iranian Biological Resource Center affiliated to the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR) has said.

CITES seeking to ban rare spider-tailed horned viper trade

TEHRAN – The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has proposed to ban illegal trade of spider-tailed horned viper, a unique species of viper endemic to western Iran being pushed toward extinction through poaching, ISNA reported on Tuesday.

$4m earmarked for Asiatic cheetah conservation

TEHRAN – A total budget of $4 million will be allocated to prevent the remaining precious species of Asiatic cheetah from extinction, through a five-year plan, deputy environment chief for Department of Environment (DOE) natural environment and biodiversity directorate has announced.

IIDCYA, Honar Pooya team up for “Extinction”

TEHRAN – The Honar Pooya Group, the producer of animated movies “The Elephant King” and “Princess of Rome”, has entered into a contract with the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) to produce its new project entitled “Extinction”, the IIDCYA announced on Tuesday. 

Rare Corsac fox coming to the verge of extinction

TEHRAN – The Corsac fox, a small intelligent hunter, having a limited range in Turkmen Sahara, northeastern Iran, is endangered due to habitat fragmentation and lack of safety, Mehr reported on Tuesday.

On verge of extinction: Cheetah killed in road accident in northeastern Iran

TEHRAN – A female Asiatic cheetah lost life after being severely wounded in a car crash in Jajarm road in North Khorasan province, the provincial department of environment (DOE) public relations has announced.

Leopard in snare escaped certain death, released back to wild

TEHRAN — A leopard caught in snare, in northern city of Galugah in Mazandaran province, was safely released and went back to wild with no lasting harms, Tasnim news agency reported.

More than 5,500 livestock moved out of Asiatic cheetah’s home range in Iran

TEHRAN — Following the “cheetah forever” campaign contributions some 5,536 livestock have been moved out of cheetah home ranges in Touran National Park in the central province of Semnan, campaign spokesman Hamidreza Mirzadeh has said.

New Year pet trade pushing Kaiser's mountain newt toward extinction

TEHRAN — The upward and disturbing trend of trading Kaiser's mountain newt, specially as the Iranian New Year is getting closer, is driving the precious species to extinction.

By Farnaz Heidari

Conservation a ‘never ending’ effort as it confronts ‘never ending’ disturbance processes

The Asiatic cheetah nowadays only exists in Iran where its survival raises multiple challenges. To prevent the extinction of this iconic cat species from its last refuge in Asia, it is essential to draw the attention of people and generate enough positive support.