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In Iran, Cheetah Sightings Offer Rare Spots of Hope Amid War

It has a smaller head, shorter legs and a stronger neck than the African cheetah. The Asiatic... “I think a big part of that is because people feel a connection to it. It has a place in our...

NYTIMES 입력 2026.04.28 13:02 0

In Iran, Cheetah Sightings Offer Rare Spots of Hope Amid War

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In Iran, Cheetah Sightings Offer Rare Spots of Hope Amid War

Conservationists say they have recorded several new adult and cub Asiatic cheetahs, a critically endangered subspecies found only in Iran.

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A female Asiatic cheetah named Dalbar in the Pardisan Park in Tehran in 2017. The species is under constant threat of hunters, speeding cars and wild dogs.

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Atta Kenare/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Sanam Mahoozi

and

Erika Solomon

April 28, 2026,

12:01 a.m. ET

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Amid destruction and devastation in the wake of war, Iranians have found a rare glimmer of hope among one of the nation’s most endangered species.

Iran has recorded a jump this year in its official number of Asiatic cheetahs, a subspecies, now found only in Iran, that has been on the brink of extinction for years.

Last year, the Iranian authorities were aware of just 17 wild cats. But in 2026, Bagher Nezami, the project manager for the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project, told Iranian state media that conservationists had recorded 21 new adult cheetahs and six cubs.

The Asiatic cheetah is one of the world’s fastest land animals. It has a smaller head, shorter legs and a stronger neck than the African cheetah. The Asiatic cheetahs used to roam the Arabian Peninsula, the lands around the Caspian Sea, and South Asia. Now, a species once favored by kings prowls only Iran’s eastern desert and is under the constant threat of hunters, speeding highway drivers and wild dogs.

Still, the cheetah’s survival in Iran is a source of national pride. The national soccer team’s jerseys are emblazoned with the spots of the wild cat, while the country’s Meraj Airlines has sought to raise awareness of the critically endangered species by painting cheetahs across its jets.

“The Asiatic cheetah is really a symbol in Iran,” Iman Ebrahimi, an Iranian conservationist, said in an interview. “I think a big part of that is because people feel a connection to it. It has a place in our culture and history.”

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