In a message marking National Asiatic Cheetah Day on August 31, the official wrote: “We are standing at the crossroads of extinction or survival. We are just one step from a national regret but still a few steps from reviving the population; steps we are determined to take.”
According to the department, only 20 Asiatic cheetahs remain in the wild, mostly in the Touran Biosphere Reserve, while six others are kept in a controlled breeding facility. Conservationists stress that the ultimate goal is to restore the species in its natural habitat, but population numbers have now fallen below the red line.
Experts have repeatedly called for greater inter-agency support, warning that without urgent action, the cheetah, once roaming vast regions of Asia, could disappear forever.
Iran began marking National Cheetah Day in 1994 after the death of a cub known as “Marita,” an event that became a symbol of the species’ decline and the urgency of conservation efforts.
