In Iran, an Asian leopard cub named Piruz died at the age of 10 months, pushing the species close to extinction. Only a dozen copies can survive in the wild.

The only captive Asian leopard cub died in Iran on Tuesday. Local media reported that the 10-month-old sample from the protected breeds suffered from kidney failure.

Peroz was the only survivor of a litter of Asian cheetahs, in which three cubs were born. The cubs’ mother left them alone after birth, and the caregivers managed to keep this specimen alive.

The ten-month-old cheetah cub, whose condition many people have been monitoring on social media, has been treated for kidney problems at the Central Animal Hospital in Tehran, where he underwent surgery on Monday. The head of the hospital also apologized on behalf of the doctors for not being able to save the life of the rare specimen.

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Asiatic cheetah cubs were born in captivity for the first time in Iran. The cubs were born in Semnan Province, in the Turan Wildlife Sanctuary, which is under the control of Iran’s Environmental Protection Agency. The Iranian Cheetah Society reported her birth in May and also said the cubs were born by Caesarean section.

Like its African relative, the Asian cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) is a very large and fast cat. The habitat of this species extended from the Red Sea to India. In the last century, the population of this species has completely collapsed, according to estimates, there are only a dozen specimens left in the wild in Iran, although in the 1990s there were still about four hundred known individuals.

The extinction of this species was partly caused by poaching, the hunting of its main prey, gazelle, and the narrowing of its habitat. Many Asian cheetahs have been hit by cars or killed by herding dogs because herders are allowed to graze in cheetah habitats.

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