TEHRAN – Two Asiatic cheetahs which are being kept in captivity in Tehran’s Pardisan Park may become parents using artificial insemination.

The two cheetahs called Koushki - the male cheetah - and Delbar - the female cheetah, were separated from their parents as a cub and couldn’t return back to wild as they didn’t have a parent to teach them how to survive and were kept in captivity since then. 

The two cheetahs are regularly undergoing medical tests to ensure their readiness for artificial insemination, YJC quoted the chief veterinarian of Pardisan rehabilitation center Iman Memarian as saying on Tuesday.

Continuous efforts have been made so that the cheetah couple could achieve a natural conception, but unfortunately they all have failed till date, he regretted. 

Memarian went on to say that German experts are lending a hand in implementing the artificial insemination techniques.

Physically and clinically healthy, Delbar and Koushki are receiving their required supplements and nutrition, he noted.

The behavior of cheetahs is being monitored 24-7 so that whenever Delbar (the female cheetah) shows stress or signs of readiness for natural breeding, veterinarians can adopt the required measures, he concluded implying that there is still hope for natural conception.

Once living in wide parts of Asia, Iranian or Asiatic cheetahs are now just inhibiting in central dry regions of Iran. As per the figures announce d by Conservation of Asiatic cheetah (CACP) only some 50 cheetahs are estimated to inhabit Iran. 

Special programs have been planned for saving this species and hopes are that artificial insemination can open a new window for conserving this critically endangered animal.

MAH/MQ/MG