Naturalists Struggle to Save Iran Cheetahs TEHRAN, Iran Only 60
cheetahs are believed to remain in Iran, their numbers
bludgeoned by hunting, road-building, and drought, say
environmentalists who are battling to save them from extinction.
The sleek, swift, black-spotted big cats live mainly in the
central deserts, hunting down gazelle and wild goats with bursts
of up to 68 miles per hour. Akbar Hamedanian, managing director
of the U.N.-backed Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project,
says numbers began to fall in the 17th century through royal
hunting menageries. "Courts in the time of Shah Abbas would not
only have falconers but also a cheetah-keeper," he explained. He
added that the first hunting rifles arrived at about the same
time, stoking up the Persian passion for big game hunting that
wiped out the Iranian lion and tiger. The cheetah's historic
range included most of Africa, the Middle East, and much of
western Asia, including India. It now roams a fraction of its
former African territory, where th