Seven years ago a mother yooz (Iranian cheetah) and her three cubs sought shelter in the gardens on the edge of Bafgh in Yazd Province. Some residents surrounded the garden and mortally injured two of the cubs after the mother fled. A third cub was rescued. The need for educating the public about wildlife was not lost on the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) which put even stronger focus on reaching the areas where the human population was more likely to come into conflict with the Cheetah over domestic animal predation. The cheetah’s natural pery, the gazelle, is in decline mostly due to poaching, so the mother Cheetah had likely approached the human habitat in desperation.
The ICS was started by three young Iranian wildlife enthusiasts and now has a staff of about 30 and a membership of about 300. It has won numerous awards including National Environment Award (Iran)and Future Conservationist Award (UK). Extending beyond Cheetah protection to other Iranain wildlife, ICS member Fatollah Amiri produced a 51 minute TV documentary on bats in southwest Iran. The film continues to receive accolades worldwide for its innovative use of advanced imaging techniques to document wildlife.
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