A cheetah cub has died of kidney failure in an Iranian nature reserve. It is reported by Tasnim agency with reference to IRNA.
A cheetah named Piruz was the only survivor of three cubs born at a wildlife sanctuary in northeast Iran in May 2022, at just 10 months old at the time of his death. Two other cubs born with him died in the same month.
“Piruz, who was admitted to the Central Veterinary Hospital for kidney failure last Thursday, died after undergoing dialysis,” a state-run Iranian publication reported.
“The loss of Piruz and the ineffectiveness of all the efforts made by the medical team over the past few days to save the animal saddens me and all my colleagues, and we apologize to everyone for not being able to save the life of this animal,” said hospital director Omid Moradi.
According to a 2017 study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Asiatic cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus venaticus , is a critically endangered subspecies with only about 50 adults left in Iran.
This fastest land animal in the world, capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour, once lived in lands from the eastern reaches of India to the Atlantic coast of Senegal .
They are still found in parts of South Africa , but have virtually disappeared from North Africa and Asia. Since 2001, Iran has taken various measures to conserve the endangered Asiatic cheetah, including a UN- supported protection program .
The Iranian government has also established protected areas, including Kavir National Park, Turan National Park, and Naibandan Wildlife Sanctuary, to provide a safe habitat for the Asiatic cheetah and its prey.
