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Wildlife Featured in this article
- Asiatic cheetah
- Persian leopard
Iran frees scientists who studied big cats
The four were among nine arrested in January 2018
Four biologists who studied big cats have been released after six years of imprisonment in Iran. The scientists were pardoned as part of a mass amnesty at the end of Ramadan.
The four were among nine conservationists arrested in January 2018. One died in prison. The others were sentenced on espionage charges. After the previous release of four of them, none of the nine now remains in prison.
The scientists were researching species including the endangered Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) and Persian leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana) at the time of their arrest.
The United Nations Environment Programme, which called for the release, welcomed the announcement. “All voices must be heard and protected as we seek environmental stewardship of the one and only planet on which we all depend,” it said in a statement.
Header Image: The imprisoned scientists were researching species including the endangered Asiatic cheetah, seen here Shahrud, Iran in February. Credit: moosa_mazinanian via iNaturalist.
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