Exceptionally long movements of the Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus venaticus across multiple arid reserves in central Iran

Abstract

Understanding spatial ecology is essential for the development of effective and appropriate conservation strategies, especially for the Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, which occurs at a low density across vast arid areas of Iran. Yet, despite its Critically Endangered status, information on the ranging and movement of this species was formerly lacking. Here we present data for exceptionally long movements of a few individuals across multiple reserves in central Iran, obtained using camera traps during 2009–2013. We identified an adult female who moved c. 150 km multiple times between two reserves in 3 years, covering an estimated 3,629 km2. After becoming independent her three sons formed a coalition and ranged across multiple reserves, covering an estimated 4,862 km2 in their first 3 years. An adult male was also found patrolling three reserves, moving up to 40 km across an estimated 807 km2. These data demonstrate that cheetahs in Iran cover vast ranges, and indicate a requirement for large, connected areas for the long-term conservation of this metapopulation.

Full text

http://journals.cambridge.org Downloaded: 21 Jul 2013 IP address: 137.158.158.60
Short Communication
Exceptionally long movements of the Asiatic cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus venaticus across multiple arid
reserves in central Iran
MOHAMMAD S. FARHADINIA,HASAN AKBARI,SEYED-JALAL MOUSAVI
MORTEZA ESLAMI,MORTEZA AZIZI,JAVAD SHOKOUHI,NAVID GHOLIKHANI and
FATEMEH HOSSEINI-ZAVAREI
Abstract Understanding spatial ecology is essential for
the development of effective and appropriate conservation
strategies, especially for the Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx
jubatus venaticus, which occurs at a low density across
vast arid areas of Iran. Yet, despite its Critically Endangered
status, information on the ranging and movement of this
species was formerly lacking. Here we present data for
exceptionally long movements of a few individuals across
multiple reserves in central Iran, obtained using camera
traps during 2009–2013. We identified an adult female who
moved c. 150 km multiple times between two reserves in
3years, covering an estimated 3,629 km
2
. After becoming
independent her three sons formed a coalition and ranged
across multiple reserves, covering an estimated 4,862 km
2
in
their first 3years. An adult male was also found patrolling
three reserves, moving up to 40 km across an estimated
807 km
2
. These data demonstrate that cheetahs in Iran cover
vast ranges, and indicate a requirement for large, connected
areas for the long-term conservation of this metapopulation.
Keywords Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, Asiatic cheetah,
camera trapping, Iran, ranging pattern
The Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, cate-
gorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List
(Jowkar et al., 2008), formerly occurred across west and
south Asia (Caro, 1994). In Iran, however, relatively few
individuals of this subspecies have been recorded in the last
3decades (Farhadinia, 2004). Monitoring and estimation of
population size are essential for conservation of the Asiatic
cheetah but the species is difficult to monitor because it uses
large ranges, is shy and elusive, and occurs at low densities
(Hunter et al., 2007). Camera traps are useful for studying
cryptic species (Balme et al., 2009), including cheetahs,
because individuals can be recognized from their unique
spot patterns (Caro, 1994). However, despite regular
application of this technique for large carnivores (e.g.
Karanth et al., 2004; Balme et al., 2009) it has been rarely
used for cheetahs, except in southern Africa (Marnewick
et al., 2008; Marker et al., 2008). Problems bedevilling the
study of cheetahs with camera traps include their use of
large areas of open habitat, which makes it difficult to
identify reliable camera-trap sites; other carnivores fre-
quently use trails (Karanth et al., 2004; Balme et al., 2009).
Formerly, there were no data regarding the movement of
Asiatic cheetahs in Iran but in 2007 a coalition of two
collared males in Bafq Protected Area covered .1,700 km
2
in 5months (H. Jowkar et al., unpubl. data). Here we
describe the movements of several individual cheetahs that
have been photo-trapped in multiple areas, illustrating the
species’ranging activity in Iran and providing an insight
into the spatial dynamics of this lesser-known subspecies.
The monitoring programme was conducted across four
reserves: Dare-Anjir Wildlife Refuge, Bafq Protected Area,
Ariz No-hunting Area and Siah-Kouh National Park and
Protected Area (Table 1,Fig. 1). The landscape of these
areas comprise arid plains, hilly terrain and rolling
mountains. They are predominantly covered with veg-
etation communities of wormwood Artemisia sieberi and
bean caper Zygophyllum sp. The wild goat Capra aegagrus
and sheep Ovis orientalis are the most common ungulates
(at densities of 0.4–1.6km
−2
and 0.2–0.91 km
−2
, respectively)
and there are also low numbers of chinkara Gazella bennettii
(0.02–0.08 km
−2
; Yazd DoE, 2011).
To monitor cheetahs, camera traps were opportu-
nistically deployed between 2009 and 2011, followed by an
intensive programme across all areas during winter–spring
2011–2012, and then continued extensively until January
2013. Multiple camera brands were deployed, mainly
CamTrak (CamTrak South Inc., Watkinsville, USA),
Panthera (New York, USA), and Cuddeback Capture
(Green Bay, USA). Camera locations were along dried
watercourses or signing posts, where cheetahs regularly visit
MOHAMMAD S. FARHADINIA (Corresponding author) Iranian Cheetah Society
and Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
E-mail msfarhadinia@wildlife.ir
HASAN AKBARI,SEYED-JALAL MOUSAVI,MORTEZA AZIZI and JAVA D SHOKOUHI
Yazd Office of Department of Environment, Yazd, Islamic Republic of Iran
MORTEZA ESLAMI,NAVID GHOLIKHANI and FATEMEH HOSSEINI-ZAVAREI Iranian
Cheetah Society, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Received 4October 2012. Revision requested 24 January 2013.
Accepted 2April 2013.
©2013 Fauna & Flora International,
Oryx
, 47(3), 427–430 doi:10.1017/S0030605313000641

http://journals.cambridge.org Downloaded: 21 Jul 2013 IP address: 137.158.158.60
for scent marking. Individuals were identified using
comparison of spot patterns, and sexed and aged.
Presence data were plotted using ArcMap v. 9.3(ESRI,
Redlands, USA) and the minimum area covered was
calculated as the area confined within the outer camera-
trap stations.
In 2009 an adult female was photo-trapped twice in
Dare-Anjir Wildlife Refuge: in September and then in
November c. 25 km further south. In June 2010 she was
photographed c. 150 km away, with three cubs, in Siah-Kouh
National Park, which was established in 2001 to safeguard
the cheetah and its prey. As the cubs were small when they
were first seen (.4months) it is likely they were born in the
Park. The family was seen by game wardens on several
occasions up to February 2011, when the mother, with one of
her juveniles, was photo-trapped.
In August 2011 camera-trap photographs revealed that
the female and three siblings, all males, had returned to
Dare-Anjir. The female was not camera-trapped again until
late February 2012, when she was photographed alone in
Siah-Kouh, indicating that after her sons became indepen-
dent she returned from Dare-Anjir (Fig. 1), thus covering an
area of at least 3,629 km
2
. Meanwhile, the three brothers
roamed in a coalition. The siblings, estimated to be
c. 20 months old in January 2012, showed regular marking
behaviour, mainly through urinating at sign posts. Camera-
trap photographs indicated that they roamed Dare-Anjir
until the end of February 2012 and then headed south
TABLE 1 Characteristics of the four study areas in central Iran (Fig. 1).
Reserve name and category
Area
(km
2
)
Year of
establishment Other confirmed sympatric large predators
Siah-Kouh National Park & Protected Area 2,057 2001 Grey wolf Canis lupus
Dare-Anjir Wildlife Refuge 1,753 2002 Striped hyena Hyaena hyaena (rarely)
Ariz No-hunting Area 1,313 1999 Persian leopard Panthera pardus (occasionally)
Bafq Protected Area 885 1996 Persian leopard
FIG. 1 The locations, recorded by camera
traps, of the adult female Asiatic cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, the coalition
of three young males (her sons), and the
adult male across four arid protected
areas (Table 1). The rectangle on the
inset indicates the location of the main
map in central Iran.
428 M. S. Farhadinia et al.
©2013 Fauna & Flora International,
Oryx
, 47(3), 427–430

http://journals.cambridge.org Downloaded: 21 Jul 2013 IP address: 137.158.158.60
towards Ariz No-hunting Area. Until February 2013 the
three males roamed Dare-Anjir and Ariz, which are
contiguous, covering a total of c. 4,862 km
2
(Fig. 1) between
their birth and 3years of age. They could also have roamed
in areas in which camera traps were not deployed, and thus
it is possible that they ranged further.
An adult male was photo-captured in summer 2010 in
eastern Dare-Anjir, repeatedly visiting most of the camera-
trapped signing posts, indicating that he was a territorial
male (Caro & Collins, 1987). Until the end of 2011 he was
present in most camera-trap photographs in Dare-Anjir.
However, he was highly mobile. During 2012 he regularly
moved from Dare-Anjir through Ariz to Bafq and vice versa
(a distance of c. 40 km; Fig. 1), with a minimum range of
807 km
2
.
These camera-trapping data indicate that these five
cheetahs ranged across multiple reserves in central Iran,
some of which are geographically separate. The female
crossed two roads, Ardekan–Choupanan and Yazd–Tabas
(once accompanied by her three sons). An adult male was
killed on the latter road in May 2011 (Yazd DoE, 2011). The
single male that was photo-trapped in multiple reserves also
regularly crossed the Bafq–Koushk road, on which a female
was killed in November 2005 (Yazd DoE, 2011). The reason
for such long movements, particularly out of the well-
established Dare-Anjir Wildlife Refuge, through vast deserts
that have depleted prey and poor security, is unclear. The
ranging of these cheetahs across multiple areas supports the
hypothesis that Iranian cheetahs have extremely large home
ranges (Hunter et al., 2007).
In the Serengeti resident males are known to occasionally
travel up to 30 km from their territory (Caro & Collins,
1987). A female was found c. 100 km from her territory in
Namibia, where cheetahs roam extensively across large
home ranges (Marker, 2003). Females tend to roam over
larger ranges than males (Caro, 1994; Marker, 2003). The
long-distance movements of cheetahs elsewhere, particu-
larly of females, have been attributed to seeking out
migratory prey (Caro, 1994). However, even in Namibian
bush-encroached farmlands, with a non-migratory prey
base, both sexes and all social groupings range extensively
(Marker, 2003). We have no evidence of ungulate migration
between the four protected areas in central Iran. However,
patches of widely dispersed habitat that maintain essential
resources, particularly medium-sized prey, can result in a
large home range (Bissett & Bernard, 2006). It is likely that
low prey density, which could be related to poor vegetation
cover in this arid climate, and to poaching, could trigger the
lengthy movements of the Asiatic cheetah in Iran.
In Africa, mobility has been suggested to be the key to the
coexistence of cheetahs with larger predators, particularly
lions Panthera leo and spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta,
where kleptoparasitism occurs (Durant, 1998). Therefore, by
constantly moving, cheetahs may be able to avoid their main
competitors, facilitating coexistence (Pettorelli et al., 2009).
In Dare-Anjir, where all five individuals were recorded,
there is no evidence of the presence of other large
carnivores. However, a collared male cheetah was found
dead in Bafq in June 2007, supposedly killed by a leopard
while on a wild goat kill (H. Jowkar et al., unpubl. data).
The presence of leopards could cause cheetahs to spend
relatively less time in this protected area.
The high mobility of the Asiatic cheetah across multiple
areas suggests that this subspecies would best be managed
in a metapopulation framework across connected areas.
Irrespective of the reasons for movement, conservation of
the cheetah, with its typically large home range, requires
large tracts of suitable habitat, and this requirement will
often compete with other forms of land use (Bissett &
Bernard, 2007), particularly outside protected areas. The
inadequate size of many protected areas means that effective
management outside formally protected areas is of para-
mount importance for conservation of the cheetah
(Muntifering et al., 2006). Any development plans should
therefore be carefully considered by the Iran Department
of Environment, to prevent or mitigate potential adverse
effects on the connectivity of protected areas. Under-
standing the factors influencing the spatial ecology of the
cheetah in Iran is fundamental to developing effective and
appropriate regional conservation strategies for this sub-
species, and smaller reserves, particularly Dare-Anjir, are
ideal sites to implement telemetry studies of movement. Our
findings indicate the likelihood of transboundary move-
ments by the cheetah and could therefore be of value for
conservation of the subspecies in neighbouring countries,
particularly Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Acknowledgements
The monitoring programme was jointly implemented by the
Iranian Cheetah Society, Yazd Office of Department of
Environment, the Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project,
and Panthera. Special thanks go to La Palmyre Zoo,
Amersfoort Zoo, Stichting SPOTS, Conservation des
Espèces et des Populations Animales, Parc des Felins and
Prince Bernhard Fund for Nature for provision of the
equipment necessary for this project. We are grateful to the
game wardens for their companionship during the field
surveys and Dr David Mallon for a helpful review.
References
BALME, G. A., HUNTER,L.T.B.&SLOTOW,R.(2009) Evaluating
methods for counting cryptic carnivores. Journal of Wildlife
Management,73,433–441.
BISSETT,C.&BERNARD, R.T.F. (2007) Habitat selection and feeding
ecology of the cheetah in thicket vegetation: is the cheetah a savanna
specialist? Journal of Zoology,271,310–317.
Asiatic cheetah in Iran 429
©2013 Fauna & Flora International,
Oryx
, 47(3), 427–430

http://journals.cambridge.org Downloaded: 21 Jul 2013 IP address: 137.158.158.60
CARO, T.M. (1994)Cheetahs of the Serengeti Plains: Group Living of an
Asocial Species. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA.
CARO, T.M. & COLLINS, D.A. (1987) Male cheetah social organization
and territoriality. Ethology,74,52–64.
DURANT, S.M. (1998) Competition refuges and coexistence: an
example from Serengeti carnivores. Journal of Animal Ecology,67,
370–386.
FARHADINIA,M.(2004) The last stronghold: cheetah in Iran.
Cat News,40,11–14.
HUNTER, L., JOWKAR, H., ZIAIE, H., SCHALLER, G., BALME, G.,
WALZER, C. et al. (2007) Conserving the Asiatic cheetah
in Iran: launching the first radio-telemetry study. Cat News,
46,8–11.
JOWKAR, H., H UNTER, L., Z IAIE, H., M ARKER, L.,
BREITENMOSER-WURSTEN,C.&DURANT,S.(2008)
Acinonyx jubatus ssp. venaticus. In IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species v. 2012.2.http://www.iucnredlist.org
[accessed 4April 2013].
KARANTH, K.U., CHUNDAWAT, R.S., NICHOLS, J.D. & K UMAR, N.S.
(2004) Estimation of tiger densities in the tropical dry forests of
Panna, central India, using photographic capture–recapture
sampling. Animal Conservation,7,285–290.
MARKER,L.(2003)Aspects of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) biology,
ecology and conservation strategies on Namibian farmlands.
PhD thesis. University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
MARKER, L.L., FAB IANO,E.&NGHIKEMBUA,M.(2008) The use of
remote camera traps to estimate density of free-ranging cheetahs in
north-central Namibia. Cat News,49,22–24.
MARNEWICK, K., FUNSTON, P.J. & KARANTH,U.(2008) Evaluating
camera trapping as a method for estimating cheetah abundance
in ranching areas. South African Journal of Wildlife Research,38,
59–65.
MUNTIFERING, J.R., DICKMAN, A.J., P ERLOW, M.L., H RUSKA,T.,
RYAN, P.G., MARKER, L.L. & J EO, R.N. (2006) Managing the matrix
for large carnivores: a novel approach and perspective from cheetah
habitat suitability modeling. Animal Conservation,9,103–112.
PETTORELLI, N., HILB ORN, A., BROE KHUIS,F.&DURANT, S.M. (2009)
Exploring habitat use by cheetahs using ecological niche factor
analysis. Journal of Zoology,277,141–148.
YAZD DOE(DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT)(2011) Yazd Annual
Census Report. Yazd Department of Environment, Yazd, Iran.
Biographical sketches
MOHAMMAD FARHADINIA is Research Programmes Director at the
Iranian Cheetah Society. H ASAN AKBARI is a biologist with an interest
in ungulate conservation, and Deputy of the Yazd Office of
Department of Environment. As reserve heads, S EYED-JALAL
MOUSAVI,MORTEZA AZIZI and JAVAD SHOKOUHI lead anti-
poaching efforts in various protected areas. M ORTEZA ESLAMI
coordinates the Iranian Cheetah Society’s programmes, developing
conservation field projects for threatened species. NAVI D
GHOLIKHANI conducts field research, mainly using camera traps.
FATEMEH HOSSEINI-ZAVAREI is a conservation biologist focusing
mainly on human–carnivore interactions.
430 M. S. Farhadinia et al.
©2013 Fauna & Flora International,
Oryx
, 47(3), 427–430