Research overview: the relict Asiatic cheetah of Iran

The Asiatic cheetah survives only as a tiny relict population in the deserts of Iran, the last of a subspecies that once ranged across southwest Asia and India. This overview synthesizes what is known about these critically endangered cats, which range over vast arid landscapes, prey on gazelle, wild sheep, and goats, and face threats from prey depletion, road mortality, and habitat loss. It reviews the challenges of conserving so few animals spread across enormous desert ranges and the camera-trap monitoring used to track them. The synthesis frames the Asiatic cheetah as one of the most endangered big cats on Earth. For enthusiasts it highlights the precarious survival of cheetahs in Asia, the harsh desert ecology of this remnant population, and why the loss of prey and connectivity threatens to extinguish a lineage clinging on at the edge of viability.