Persian leopard's (Panthera pardus saxicolor) unnatural mortality factors analysis in Iran

Abstract

Due to the relatively low offspring survival rate, surviving adult leopards play a critical role in the species’ viability. The unnatural mortality of leopards, caused by human activities can seriously compromise the species’ long-term population survival. An analysis of spatial distribution and sex ratio of unnatural mortality of 147 recorded Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) carcasses during a fifteen-year period (from 2000–2015) in Iran indicated that road mortality is the second most frequent cause of unnatural mortality of Persian leopards’ after illegal hunting (or prey poisoning, such as poisoned meat) by villagers, shepherds and military forces. The greatest percent of unnatural mortality events were recorded in the Golestan provinc in the north of Iran and eastern most parts of the Hyrcanian forests. Using distribution models of species, based on road accident locations as species data, we mapped the species’ distribution and critical areas of unnatural mortality of Persian leopard that can be used in prioritizing leopard-human conflicts management. Our results showed that mortality records were significantly higher in non-protected compared to protected areas. Males constituted 65 percent of the records used in the study as males dispersed more widely compared to the females. This imbalance can have severe demographic effects. A large proportion of leopards’ activity, occurrence area, and habitat lies in non-protected areas, which is mirrored by the greater number of unnatural mortality outside protected areas. Most of the incidents were due to human factors, thus management interventions such as traffic speed limitations, signs, cameras, and faunal bridges as well as increasing public participation and awareness (especially among rural communities) will positively affect the species’ conservation programs. This research aimed to produce unnatural mortality of leopards’ risk map throughout Iran and discuss the different aspects of this phenomenon, major human-caused threats and the efficiency of the legal protected areas in satisfying the species’ ecological requirements. We propose management interventions such as traffic speed limitations, signs, cameras, and faunal bridges as well as increasing public awareness and participation, especially among rural communities, to support the species’ conservation.

Influence of Landscape Factors on Amphibian Roadkills at the National Level

“…This is the first time that Maxent was used to model roadkills in Slovenia. Maxent was used to model roadkills of mammals and birds in California [22], of the Iberian Linx in Spain [70] and leopards in Iran [71], and as a permeability layer for road connectivity studies [20]. Other methods of ecological niche models [54], such as logistic regressions, have been used to model roadkills of the Moose in Sweden [72], of the Eurasian Lynx in Switzerland [73], of the Grizzly Bear in Canada [74] or of several marsupials in Australia [34].…”

Wildlife and Newspaper Reporting in Iran: A Data Analysis Approach

“…Another Iranian study used the information from GPS-collared wolves to evaluate the feeding behaviour of wolves and the locality of human settlements in Hamedan province (West) [ 76 ]. A 15-year study using the mortality data of Persian leopard showed that more than 60% of unnatural mortality was due to targeted killing by poison bait, shooting by ranchers, trophy hunters, and military forces, followed by road collision (26%) [ 77 ]. In another Iranian wildlife survey, collision with vehicles was recorded as the primary reason for carnivores’ mortality (including cheetah) during 2007–2015 [ 78 ].…”

Distribution and human‐caused mortality of Persian leopards Panthera pardus saxicolor in Iran, based on unpublished data and Farsi gray literature

“…Roadkill has been reported to be the second most important human‐caused threat to the leopard in Iran (Naderi et al, ; Sanei et al, ). Our results show that 24% of the leopards were killed in car accidents and Golestan Province showed the highest rate of road‐killed leopards (37%; 75% of them occurred in Golestan National Park [GNP]) among all provinces.…”

“…We consider poaching and intentional poisoning, and roadkill, to be the main human-caused threats to the leopard in Iran. Naderi, Farashi, and Erdi (2018) concluded that poaching and intentional poisoning of food eaten by leopards were the main causes of leopard fatalities in Iran. Sanei et al (2016) concluded that almost 70% (n = 50) of the leopard mortalities during their study period resulted from poaching and poisoning.…”

“…Roadkill has been reported to be the second most important humancaused threat to the leopard in Iran (Naderi et al, 2018;Sanei et al, 2016 The Persian leopard is one of the least-studied subspecies of leopard (Babrgir et al, 2017), and without taking active, targeted, and large-scale conservation measures, it is in imminent danger of extinction (Khalaf-von Jaffa, 2008;Khorozyan, Baryshnikov, & Abramov, 2006;Khorozyan, Malkhasyan, & Asmaryan, 2005). The…”