SAEDNEWS: Cheetah Helia Awaits the Birth of Another Cub
According to Saednews reports, newly released images show the Asiatic cheetah Helia and her surviving cub on June 28, 2023, shortly after one of her cubs was killed in a road accident.
The Director General of the Department of Environment in Iran's Semnan Province said that Helia and her remaining cub have been seen staying close to the Miami–Sabzevar transit road, part of the main Tehran–Mashhad highway, following the tragic death of her approximately 18-month-old cub. The mother cheetah has reportedly been searching for her missing offspring just 50 meters (164 feet) from the roadway.
Officials explained that Helia is the daughter of Harb, one of the first breeding female Asiatic cheetahs in the region. Helia later became a successful mother herself, giving birth to two cubs. One of those cubs, a male estimated to be under two years old, was struck and killed by a passing vehicle on June 27, 2023.
Since the accident, wildlife rangers and environmental volunteers have remained on the roadside to warn drivers and help prevent another heartbreaking collision involving Helia or her surviving cub.
Authorities believe the mother and cub may continue searching the area for up to five days before eventually leaving if they are unable to find the lost cub.
Conservation officials noted that Harb represented the first breeding generation of this cheetah family, while Helia became part of the next generation to reproduce. Helia's cubs are considered the family's second generation, making them especially important for the survival of the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah.
Harb previously gave birth to two cubs, Mahshad and Helia. In the previous year, Helia gave birth to four new cheetahs in the Touran Wildlife Reserve, and the cub killed in the accident was one of them.
The fatal collision occurred near an area known as Chah Qanat along the Miami–Sabzevar transit route on the Tehran–Mashhad highway, where the young Asiatic cheetah was struck by a passing vehicle.
Officials said this was the second road accident involving an Asiatic cheetah in Semnan Province during 2023, highlighting the ongoing threat that busy highways pose to one of the world's rarest big cats.
