Once distributed from the Indian subcontinent across Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Iran to the Arabian Peninsula and Syria, the Asiatic cheetah is now on the verge of extinction and one of the most endangered members of the cat family in the world.

The last cheetahs in India were shot in 1947. Since then, the Asiatic cheetah has disappeared from most of its former range. In the last 20 years, Iran has been the final stronghold for the Asiatic cheetah, known in Iran as yuz, although there have been occasional reports of cheetahs in Pakistan.

Background in Iran:
Before World War II, the cheetah numbered around 400, ranging in almost all of the steppes and desert areas of the east of the country and a few habitats near the Iraqi border, but after the war marked the widespread slaughter of their essential prey species, the gazelle, resulted in the cheetah population declining greatly in number. In 1956, the gazelle was protected by law and the cheetah followed in 1959. The gazelle and cheetah population recovered in many areas. Cheetah sightings increased in different localities, and in the late 1970s, cheetah numbers were estimated to be 200-300.

The 1979 revolution interrupted wildlife conservation for a few years, and many areas were occupied by livestock armed 4WD vehicles and motorbikes that chased desert species, such various gazelles, onager and the cheetah. Gazelles declined in many areas, so the cheetahs moved toward the foothills and mountainous habitats to avoid human persecution.

The cheetahs had to look for a new food source due to the swift reduction in Gazelle numbers, so they targeted wild sheep and goats, which, in their mountain habitat, had not suffered the same pressures as the gazelles. Khosh Yeilagh Protected Area, once considered the best cheetah habitat in Asia, was devastated and the last cheetahs were seen in 1983. The cheetah disappeared from much of its former range and was limited to a few remote areas with a reliable prey population and relative safety.