MNA � The head of the provincial office of the Department of Environment Abbas-Ali Damangir announced that the image of 14 cheetahs was recorded in Khar Turan National Park of Shahroud, Semnan province.







The number proves that Khar Turan National Park is very valuable because the images can be used to devise more coordinate plans for the conservation of these endangered species, Damangir said on Tuesday.

"During the current Iranian year, five sightings have been recorded in Turan, which is promising, given the endangered status of the species,� he noted.

Asiatic cheetahs have been spotted in the habitats in seven provinces of the country, but most observations have been made in Semnan in recent years, which include a number of cubs and adults, indicating the birth and the life cycle of this species in the province, he added.

Iran is home to the last known Asiatic cheetahs in the world. Providing security, developing natural habitats and observing environmental standards in development plans could help preserve the vanishing species.

Most important animals in the protected region of Turan include Iranian zebra, leopard, chinkara, deer, wild goat, ram and wild�sheep, caracal, gerbil, bustard, pleske's ground jay, heron, sandgrouse, various kinds of birds of prey such as golden eagle, hawk, Barbary falcon and different reptiles such as echis, horned viper and Central Asian cobra.