Sciency Thoughts: Mazandaran Province

Showing posts with label Mazandaran Province. Show all posts

Wednesday, 27 April 2022

Leopard shot after attacking policeman in northern Iran.

A Leopard has been shot dead after attacking a policeman in the city of Ghaemshahr in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran, on Sunday 24 April 2022. The Animal had broken of the attack and fled the scene before being shot, but there were concerns that it could potentially attack other people. After being shot the Leopard was taken to a local wildlife centre in the hope that it could be saved and released in a sanctuary, but it died of its injuries before this could happen. The policeman is reported to be in a stable condition.

A Persian Leopard in Iran. Future 4 Leopards Foundation.

Persian Leopards, Panthera pardus tulliana, the subspecies found in Iran, and the only Big Cat now found in Iran following the local extinction of the Asiatic Lion and Caspian Tiger, are considered to be Endangered under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, with less than a thousand surviving in the wild. The majority of these are found in Iran, but smaller populations in Turkey, Iraq, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and possibly Pakistan, Historically, this subspecies had a wider range, extending into Syria and part of Russia. The species is threatened by hunting (now illegal across almost al of its range) and habitat loss, which brings it into conflict with Human populations, particularly herders, as its natural wild prey is replaced by domestic Sheep and Goats, which can lead to Leopard attacks on both livestock and Humans, with subsequent, usually lethal, retaliation towards the Leopards.

Sunday, 24 March 2019

Former footballer killed by landslide as flooding hits northern Iran.

A former professional footballer has died in a landslide and at least nine people have drowned as heavy rains have caused flash flooding across the northern Iranian provinces of Mazandaran and Golestan this week. Keyvan Vahdani (27), a former midfielder with the Nassaji Mazandaran football team, was struck by falling debris at Khatikooh in Mazandaran whilst travelling from Tehran to Savadkuh on Wednesday 20 March 2019, and died of his injuries at the scene. The landslide occurred after about three days of continuous rainfall in the area. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall.

Former Nassaji Mazandaran midfielder Keyvan Vahdani (27), killed by a landslide in Mazandaran Province this week. Persian League.

The severe weather has caused a series of flash flooding events across Mazandaran and Golestan provinces, with at least nine people having drowned and at least one more missing. Flooding is particularly severe around the city of Aqqala in Golestan. Ecologists in the region have warned of an increased risk of flooding in the region due to a loss of forest cover; which has led to the loss topsoil into the Caspian Sea, exposing non-absorbent bedrock below, which leads to water pooling at the surface rather than being absorbed into the ground.

Flooding in the city of Aqqala on the Caspian coast of Iran this week. Moein Motlagh/Mehr News Agency.

Sunday, 7 October 2018

Flooding kills at least eight in northwest Iran.

At least eight people have died in a series of floods across northwestern Iran on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 October 2018, after the area suffered its heaviest rains in about 20 years, according to the Iranian Red Crescent. Four of the deaths occurred in Mazandaran Province, where three people are reported to have drowned and one died after being struck by lightning. Around 170 people have been made homeless by the floods and are staying in emergency shelters, and around 1400 more have been stranded, as the flooding has disrupted transport networks.

A road washed away by flooding in the city of Tonekabon in Mazandaran Province, Iran, on 6 October 2018. Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua.

Northern Iran has a temperate climate with dry summers and wetter winters. Peak rainfall typically occurs in October, and flooding is often a problem when heavy rains fall after long dry periods, as dry soil tends to develop a hard crust which lowers its absorbency to water, and low ground absorbency leads to large amounts of water at the surface, typically moving downhill at some speed.

See also...