TEHRAN, Jun. 01 (MNA) – A senior official at Iran’s Department of Environment has announced a 35% increase in wildlife population in different areas of the country over the past two years.

Gholamreza Abdali, the Director General for the Wildlife Conservation and Management Bureau of the Department of Environment, made these remarks on Saturday.

The Persian onager, chinkara, gazelle, and fallow deer are mentioned as the wildlife populations whose numbers have increased, according to Abdali. 

Abdali clarified that this increase does not refer to the population in the wild but rather to the population in the centers of reproduction for endangered species, adding that this growth is expected to positively impact the overall wildlife population, as several of these animals will be released into their natural habitats.

In his remarks, the official mentioned that there are 105 reproduction centers across the country, with 32 of them being state-run and the rest operated by the private sector.

Based on the report, the population of the Persian fallow deer has increased from 288 to 344 during the past two years.

MP/IRN