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Abstract
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The expansion of road networks in Iran has
substantially affected the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah (1–4). Since 2004, at
least 23 Asiatic cheetahs have been killed in
vehicle collisions (4). The worldwide Asiatic
cheetah population is now estimated to be
fewer than 20 adults, all of whom live in
Iran (5). The country must take immediate
action to protect the species from extinction.
Ten cheetahs, one of which was pregnant,
have been killed on Semnan-Mashhad Road
alone (6), which is located at the periphery
of the Touran Biosphere Reserve, supposedly the last remaining sanctuary for Asiatic
cheetahs (2). In 2018, Iran established a
3-km fenced area near the reserve to prevent
cheetahs from accessing the road (6). After
the fence was built, cheetah road accidents
ceased until 2022 (6). However, because the
fence only covered part of the reserve’s border and no monitoring was implemented,
it is unclear whether the temporary halt
in road-kills resulted from the intervention
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