Iran’s Rare Cheetah Cub Dies of Kidney Failure

In this photo provided by Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA, Iran's only Asiatic cheetah cub in captivity, Pirouz, looks on at the Pardisan Park in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 21, 2022. (Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA via AP)
In this photo provided by Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA, Iran's only Asiatic cheetah cub in captivity, Pirouz, looks on at the Pardisan Park in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 21, 2022. (Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA via AP)
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Iran’s Rare Cheetah Cub Dies of Kidney Failure

In this photo provided by Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA, Iran's only Asiatic cheetah cub in captivity, Pirouz, looks on at the Pardisan Park in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 21, 2022. (Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA via AP)
In this photo provided by Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA, Iran's only Asiatic cheetah cub in captivity, Pirouz, looks on at the Pardisan Park in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 21, 2022. (Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA via AP)

The last survivor of three critically endangered Asiatic cheetah cubs born in captivity in Iran died in hospital Tuesday from kidney failure, state media reported.

"Pirouz who was admitted to the Central Veterinary Hospital due to kidney failure last Thursday, died after undergoing dialysis," the official IRNA news agency said.

"The loss of Pirouz and ineffectiveness of all the efforts made by the treatment team in the past few days to save the animal saddens me and all my colleagues, and we apologize to everyone that we could not keep this animal alive," hospital director Omid Moradi told IRNA.

Pirouz, meaning "victorious" in Persian, had become a source of national pride since its birth in May last year at a wildlife refuge in northeastern Iran.

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

The Asiatic cheetah -- Acinonyx jubatus venaticus -- is threatened with "dangerous ongoing decline" and is critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

According to a 2017 study referenced by IUCN, the sub-species is confined only to Iran where there were "less than 50 mature individuals."

The world's fastest land animal, capable of reaching speeds of 120 kilometers (74 miles) per hour, cheetahs 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.

Iran began a United Nations-supported cheetah protection program in 2001.

In January 2022, deputy environment minister Hassan Akbari said Iran was home to only a dozen Asiatic cheetahs -- down from an estimated 100 in 2010.

Iran's environment department had hoped the birth of the cubs in captivity would help increase the cheetah population.



Worst November Snowstorm in Half Century Hits Seoul and Grounds Hundreds of Airplane Flights

Macao tourists wearing Korean traditional Hanbok dresses take pictures amid snowfall at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, 27 November 2024. (EPA)
Macao tourists wearing Korean traditional Hanbok dresses take pictures amid snowfall at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, 27 November 2024. (EPA)
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Worst November Snowstorm in Half Century Hits Seoul and Grounds Hundreds of Airplane Flights

Macao tourists wearing Korean traditional Hanbok dresses take pictures amid snowfall at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, 27 November 2024. (EPA)
Macao tourists wearing Korean traditional Hanbok dresses take pictures amid snowfall at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, 27 November 2024. (EPA)

The most severe November snowstorm to hit South Korea's capital in more than a half century blanketed the capital on Wednesday, grounding hundreds of airplane flights and disrupting commuter traffic.

South Korea’s weather agency said 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) of snow fell in northern areas of Seoul and nearby areas. The agency said it was the heaviest snowstorm Seoul has experienced in 52 years. A storm on Nov. 28, 1972 dumped 12 centimeters (4.7) inches of snow on the capital.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said one person died and four others were injured in a five-vehicle accident in the eastern town of Hongcheon.

The storm blanketed much of the country, with the country’s central, eastern and southwestern regions seeing about 10 to 23 centimeters (3.9 to 9 inches) of snow.

At least 220 flights were canceled or delayed at airports nationwide, while authorities ordered around 90 ferries to remain at port. They also shut down hundreds of hiking trails .

Icy road conditions slowed down the morning commute in Seoul, while emergency workers across the country responded to fallen trees, signs, and other safety risks.

The weather agency said snow will continue in most parts of the country until noon Thursday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the safety and transport ministries to mobilize all available relevant personnel and equipment to prevent traffic accidents and other snow-related incidents.

Yoon also asked officials to convey weather and traffic information to the public swiftly to help ensure they avoid snow-related damages and inconveniences, according to the presidential office.