Rare cheetah cub death a blow

– The second of three Asiatic cheetah cubs born in captivity in Iran has died in a blow to conservation efforts for the critically endangered subspecies, state media reported yesterday.

“The cause of death of the cub is being investigated and the result will be announced after the post-mortem,” environment department official Hassan Akbari told state news agency Irna.

The announcement came just two weeks after a first cub from the litter died.

The cause of death was a congenital malformation of the left lung.

The cubs were born in the Touran Wildlife Refuge by caesarean section on 1 May, in what was the first birth of an Asiatic cheetah in captivity. –