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Parishan Lake is a lake in
/ref> The whole protected area is called "Arzhan National Park." This area is an important sanctuary for birds.
In the past, the Asiatic lion used to occur in this place, besides other parts of Iran. Nowadays, in the
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. The Parishan Lake is in Jereh and Baladeh District in Fars Province and is the largest freshwater lake in the country. It receives only very small amount of water from feeder rivers and the whole lake or wetland is a protected area, as it is considered a globally significant wetland ecosystem.
The Protected Zone of Arzhan and Parishan
Another lake in this area is that of Arzhan.FARS Geography and History/ref> The whole protected area is called "Arzhan National Park." This area is an important sanctuary for birds.
Project Lion
In the past, the Asiatic lion used to occur in this place, besides other parts of Iran. Nowadays, in the wilderness
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...
of Eurasia
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...
, the only members of this race of lions occur in and around Gir Forest
Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Sasan Gir, is a forest, national park, and wildlife sanctuary near Talala Gir in Gujarat, India. It is located north-east of Somnath, south-east of Junagadh and south-west of Amreli. ...
, in Kathiawar Peninsula
Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, it is ...
, India. There was a plan to bring in Gir lions during 1977, but there were issues, and so it did not get fulfilled. This area includes the village of Arzhan, and is of agricultural importance, and bringing in lions would mean setting aside farmland, and settling farmers elsewhere. This happens to be a reason why it is difficult to reintroduce lions from Gir Forest to another place within India. Nevertheless, Iran's intention to restore its population of lions would continue into the 21st century, and in February 2019, Iran obtained a male named 'Kamran' from Bristol Zoo in the United Kingdom, followed in June by a female named 'Eilda' from Dublin Zoo in Ireland, and lodged them at Tehran Zoological Garden
The Tehran Zoological Garden ( fa, ), also known as "Eram Zoo" (), is located on the Tehran–Karaj Freeway in the Eram Amusement Park, Tehran province, Iran. Inaugurated in 1992, the zoo covers an area of and houses over 290 species.
Histo ...
in a bid to reproduce and reintroduce lions in the wild.
See also
* Kazerun *Maharloo Lake
Maharloe Lake ( fa, دریاچه مهارلو) is a seasonal salt lake in the highlands of the area of Shiraz, Iran. southeast of Shiraz, the lake salt is rich in potassium and other salts.
Rudkhane-ye-Khoshk, a seasonal river flowing through th ...
* Wildlife of Iran The wildlife of Iran include the fauna and flora of Iran.
One of the most famous wildlife of Iran is the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus venaticus''), which today survives only in Iran.
History
The wildlife of Iran first ...
References
{{Protected Areas of Iran Parishan Landforms of Fars Province Biosphere reserves of Iran