The Slow Starvation of the Arctic Reindeer

August 2, 2026

Despite its reputation for environmental stewardship, Sweden is at risk of losing its beloved reindeer and an important part of its cultural heritage.

Amid War in Iran, the World's Rarest Big Cat Is Running Out of Time

June 12, 2026

By Kaitlin Murray

In the face of conflict, road accidents, and other threats, scientists are working to pull the Asiatic cheetah back from the brink of extinction.

Asiatic cheetah. Erfan Kouchari. CC BY 4.0.

In February 2026, nine days before the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran, rangers filmed a female cheetah with five cubs in the North Khorasan province, the largest litter ever recorded for the subspecies. This comes at a time when fewer than 30 Asiatic cheetahs are believed to be left in the wild. While the subspecies once roamed vast distances spanning the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, and Central Asia, today they are only spotted in the rugged deserts of Iran. Given the uncertainty of the ongoing war and the Asiatic cheetah’s classification as critically endangered, it is more important than ever to ensure their future is protected.

While a cousin of the African cheetah, the subspecies is visibly different, with smaller heads, shorter legs, thicker coats, and a more powerful neck. It is believed they diverged from the African cheetah between 32,000 and 67,000 years ago, adapting to the different terrain of the Asian continent over time. The Asiatic cheetah was known throughout history, with the Mughal emperors keeping them for hunting and Emperor Akbar reportedly keeping over 1,000 during his lifetime.

Throughout the 20th century, the cheetah began disappearing. By the 1940s, it had gone extinct in 13 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and India. Pakistan’s final sighting was in 1997. What remains of the species now roam the desert regions of Yazd, Semnan, Kerman and Isfahan in Iran, which is only 16% of its original territory. While the country granted the species protected status in 1959, the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War halted conservation efforts for decades. Today, the global population stands at 27 individuals that have been ID-carded, plus five in breeding sites and six more in captivity.

Asiatic cheetah lives in rugged terrain. Mousa Mazinanian. CC BY 4.0.

Current Threats to Conservation

Long before the first bombs were dropped in February 2026, the Asiatic cheetah was already fighting for its survival. The number in 2026 had recovered from only 20 individuals recorded in August 2025 and from 12 at its lowest point in 2022. Every new cub recorded is a victory, given the numerous threats they face, including poaching, human-wildlife conflict, habitat fragmentation, low genetic diversity, and road accidents, all of which threaten their livelihoods.

Of all these obstacles, road accidents are the deadliest. The story of beloved Helia, the female with the cubs who made history in January 2026, illustrates the danger of road accidents. In 2024, she was spotted with two cubs in the Miandasht Wildlife Refuge after traveling more than 130 kilometers from the Turan reserve. Tragically, one of her cubs was struck and killed by a vehicle on the “Death Road” that cuts through the Semnan province. For a week after her cub's death, she stayed near the road, with volunteers on guard to block traffic in case they tried to cross again.

The ongoing war adds another layer to an already volatile crisis. While the cheetah was given a protected status and national parks were established, the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and the subsequent Iran-Iraq War set back conservation work by decades. Recently, conservationists have been the target of questioning and even arrests by the Iranian government.

One of the most notable organizations focused on protecting the cheetah is the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, which had previous partnerships with the UN and international NGOs. The Tehran-based group used camera traps to monitor wildlife, including the Persian leopard, the Asiatic cheetah and the Asiatic black bear. Camera traps monitor wildlife without human presence and are widely used around the globe. However, in Iran, the usage was enough for nine members of the organization to be arrested for espionage in 2018.

One member, Kavous Seyed-Emami, an Iranian-Canadian scientist and the foundation’s founder, died after two weeks in Evin Prison under “suspicious circumstances.” Though his death was ruled a suicide, his family tried to launch an investigation. Thankfully, the other seven members were freed in April 2024, more than six years after their arrest. This sent a chill throughout the international conservation community, as foreign investments and international organizations were hesitant to work in Iran again.

While camera traps are a great start for tracking cheetah movements, experts have cited that GPS collars could be an important tool in the future. They have been used before to study Persian leopards and, according to recently published research, could “provide essential insights into habitat use, movements and survival, enabling more effective conservation strategies.”

For Iranians, the cheetah is more than just an endangered animal; it is a source of national pride and cultural identity. When Iran’s national football team took to the pitch at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the cheetah was printed on their kit. Meraj Airlines painted the animal across their planes.

Looking Toward the Future

Amid the ongoing war, sanctions from Western nations and sporadic internet shutdowns, conservationists in Iran are concerned about the fate of the species. When will the conflict end? What is the current state of the cheetahs in inaccessible regions? How will new funding be accessed? These are all questions that conservationists and scientists around the world continue to ask themselves in the face of such an uncertain future.

Jamshid Parchizadeh, a research scientist, when asked by Mongabay about the future of the war, stated, “Before the war, cheetah conservation received limited funding from the government. But after the war, I doubt that the government has any money left for the conservation of the cheetah.”

GET INVOLVED:

Getting involved in protecting the cheetah in Iran can be complicated, especially with the ongoing conflict. The Cheetah Conservation Fund has permits to work in Iran that allow for close partnerships with groups on the ground. Visit their site to learn more about how you can help their cause to protect cheetahs around the world.

Other ways to get involved include learning about the Asiatic cheetah and raising awareness. You can help by sharing the cheetah's story online and spreading awareness of its protection. For updates and news on the status of the cheetah, visit Mongabay, an independent news platform focused on global and environmental challenges. The Felidae Fund also provides information and steps to raise awareness through social media platforms and community work.

Kaitlin Murray

Kaitlin Siena Murray is a travel journalist and global storyteller documenting cultures, historical places, and the people and social impact movements helping the world. Raised worldschooling across more than 129 countries with degrees in anthropology and history, her writing is driven by a commitment to global citizenship, capturing the diversity and beauty of the world through the lens of culture, history, and social change.

Albanian Backlash Threatens Trump-Linked Luxury Resort

June 12, 2026

By Jeremy Gordon

Jared Kushner’s luxury development project sparks massive backlash from citizens and environmentalists.

Dalmatian pelican in Albania. Kostiantyn Klymovets. Pexels.

The first week of June saw tensions flare in Albania over the construction of a new luxury resort in one of the country’s most biodiverse regions. The project, backed by Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is set to wreak havoc on the local environment and spark affordability issues for locals. Protests have spread from the barbed-wire barricades surrounding the site to the capital of Tirana, where thousands have taken to the streets carrying flamingo-shaped signs and chanting their discontent.

The region in question is Vjosa-Narta. It is where the Vjosa River, which arises in the Pindus Mountains of northwestern Greece and stretches over 270 kilometers, empties into the Adriatic Sea. The wetland surrounding this Adriatic delta is one of the most ecologically vital habitats in Europe, home to over 200 bird species, including flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans, and over 70 endangered species, including the Mediterranean monk seal and loggerhead sea turtle. It is part of the Adriatic Flyway, a major migration corridor for millions of birds that fly between Africa and Europe each year.

The $1.2 billion development project threatens to ravage the natural habitat, destroy ancient dunes protected under Albanian law and cut off tidal exchange between the Narta Lagoon and the Adriatic, plunging the marine food chain into chaos. Concrete and barbed-wire barriers have been erected, blocking locals from entering parts of the lagoon and beach. Over 40 environmental groups called for cessation of the project in January, though those calls were ignored by the Albanian government, which has amended its laws and permitting processes to pave the way for the project. Critics have decried the lack of transparency and potential corruption surrounding the decision. Prime Minister Edi Rama has stood firm in support of the project, warning against appearing hostile to foreign investment.

The project is the brainchild of Jared Kushner through his investment firm Affinity Partners. The plans call for the wetland to be transformed into a sprawling, sparkling seaside plot of hotels, villas and high-end apartments. It is part of a larger push to transform Albania into an elite tourist destination. Tourism is the major driver of the Albanian economy, accounting for roughly 20% to 25% of the GDP. It has been the surest route to Westernization since the fall of the communist government in 1992.

At the heart of Kushner’s development project is Sazan Island, a place with a long military history. It was known to the ancient Greeks and the Romans, and it later became an important naval outpost for the Ottoman Empire. When Albania gained independence in 1912, the island’s ownership fell into dispute. It was occupied by the Italians in 1914 and became a fortified military base under Benito Mussolini.

After World War II, the island reverted to Albanian ownership and became a secret military site for Enver Hoxha, the repressive communist prime minister from 1944 to 1954. Underneath its lush pine forests sprouted a vast network of underground tunnels and bunkers, including a cinema, school and hospital. Even after the fall of communism, the island retained military relevance, becoming a joint Italian-Albanian base.

In the 2010s, as Albania was being granted EU candidate status and making itself more attractive to foreign investment, the island’s surrounding sea was designated a national marine park. It became a tranquil spot for citizens to bask and enjoy the local wildlife. And in 2024, the island came to the attention of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. In an interview with podcaster David Senra earlier this June, Ivanka claimed that the couple was “on a friend’s boat” and “stopped for a swim” when they found the island and became captivated by it. That set in motion the chain of events that led to the skirting of environmental protection laws, the detrimental construction project and the subsequent fiery protests.

The protests have borne some fruit. Albania’s anti-corruption prosecutor SPAK (Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime) has opened an investigation into the shadowy legal maneuvering that initiated the project. The European Commission has warned Albania that the project could be detrimental to its EU membership, conflicting with the larger body’s environmental rules. A spokesperson for Sofjan Jaupaj, Albania’s environmental minister, has downplayed progress of the development, claiming that “no final project proposal has been submitted and construction activities have not commenced as no construction permit has been approved.”

Sazan Island and its surrounding region now enter a new, uncertain era. It has been an ancient naval outpost, a communist military base, a coastal getaway and may now become a glitzy tourist attraction backed by billions in foreign investment. The transformation is emblematic of Albania’s larger race to shed its past and join the West. And it features all of the pitfalls that go along with that.