In Iran, an Asian female leopard gave birth to three cubs

This content was released on May 01, 2022 – 10:22

01 May 2022 – 10:22

(AFP)

A female Asian leopard has given birth to three cubs in Iran, the first captive birth of this endangered cat species, the official agency said Sunday.

The IRNA quoted Ali Salazge, Iran’s head of the Department of the Environment, as saying that “three leopard cubs were born by caesarean section” at the Duran Wildlife Sanctuary in Semnan province, east of Tehran.

“Since this is the first birth of an Asian leopard, we can increase the number of leopards by keeping cubs,” he added.

“Initially veterinary care was provided and the mother and puppies are now in normal health, but in intensive care,” he said.

According to him, so far less than 20 Asian leopards have been found in the provinces of Iran.

In January, Iran’s Deputy Environment Minister Hassan Akbari said there were only about a dozen Asian leopards in the country, down from 100 in 2010.

The leopard is the fastest land animal in the world, capable of reaching speeds of up to 12 km per hour. They were formerly from eastern India on the Atlantic coast of Senegal and beyond.

They are still found in some parts of South Africa, but have almost disappeared from North Africa and Asia.

Iran is one of the last countries in the world where Asian leopards live in the wild, and launched a conservation program in 2001 with the support of the United Nations.

The subspecies “Acinonyx jubatus venaticus”, commonly known as the Asian leopard, is endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.