Iran acts as Asiatic cheetah faces extinction: 23-06-2008
The Asiatic cheetah was once a thriving breed in its natural habitat of Iran's deserts, but less than 100 now remain in the wild following the over-hunting of the cheetah's main prey, the gazelle, since the 1979 Iranian revolution.
Iran's department of environment has teamed up with the United Nations Development Programme and the Zoological Society of London in a £375,000 bid to save the species from the brink of extinction.
The plan involves tagging the cheetahs in order to track their movements, but it has seen only limited success after only two of the planned eight cheetahs were trapped and tagged in the last year.
Officials remain positive that their experiences so far will help them make the plan a success in the coming years.
"We know the area better, we know the habitat better and probably we can catch more cheetahs," said biologist Houman Jowkar.
"We need to do something urgent to save them. It is a national treasure."