TEHRAN — On Sunday, Iran marked the International Cheetah Day in Pardisan Park, northwest of Tehran, in attendance of Department of Environment chief Masoumeh Ebtekar and UN Resident Coordinator in Iran Gary Lewis.

In an unconventional manner and to break the old routines the cold winter day started with a fairly short walk to the habitat of two Asiatic cheetahs. Journalists accompanied rangers, Ebtekar, and Lewis in the walk toward the habitat.

Delbar the four-year old female and Koshki the eight-year old male are the two cheetahs which are being kept in a preserved area in Pardisan Park on a land stretching roughly 1.5 hectares for almost a year.

The officials were allowed to see the cheetahs through video footage provided by the surveillance cameras installed around the cheetahs’ habitat as it is not reasonable to disturb animals with such big crowds.

Ebtekar also said that 18 cheetah cubs have been born within the past months. She additionally thanked the UN for its active collaboration with the Department of Environment for protecting cheetahs.

She too highlighted that increasing poaching fines have effectively acted as much of a deterrent for poachers.

“It is vital to raise public awareness particularly locals” to guard the wildlife, she noted.

Lewis, for his part, thanked the Department of Environment and said that UN have been helping Iran to save Asiatic cheetahs for twelve years now and spent about 2 million dollars within the past 10 years and successfully conserved the existing cheetahs.

At the end of the visit Ebtekar and Lewis expressed their gratitude toward the rangers for their remarkable and outstanding contribution in safeguarding the environment.

MQ/PA