Piroj, Iran’s only Asiatic cheetah cub in captivity, dies of kidney failure

Piroz, the last of three critically endangered Asiatic cheetah cubs born in captivity, has died in Iran. al Jazeera, The cub died of “acute kidney failure” at a veterinary hospital in Tehran, the outlet further said. The doctors had started the process of dialysis on Monday night but could not save the cub. Piroz, which means “victorious” in Farsi, has become a source of national pride since his birth in May last year at a wildlife refuge in northeastern Iran.

“I apologize to the people on behalf of myself and all my colleagues, because we could not keep Piroj alive,” Amir Moradi, head of the Central Veterinary Hospital in the Iranian capital, said in a video message. al Jazeera,

Piroj was born on 30 April 2022. The cub’s father’s name was ‘Firoz’ and mother’s name was ‘Iran’. They were kept in captivity in hopes of increasing the population of the endangered species.

Two other cubs born with him died in the same month, but Piroz survived at a time when there were only a dozen members of the species left in the wild.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Asiatic cheetah – Acinonyx jubatus veneaticus – is at risk of “an alarming ongoing decline” and is critically endangered.

According to a 2017 study referenced by the IUCN, the subspecies is restricted to only Iran where there were “fewer than 50 mature individuals”.

The world’s fastest land animal, capable of reaching speeds of 120 kilometers (74 mi) per hour, the cheetah once stalked habitats from the eastern reaches of India to the Atlantic coast of Senegal.

They are still found in parts of Southern Africa but have practically disappeared from North Africa and Asia.