The census, taken with camera traps, collected thousands of photographs that scientists used to identify the animals
VLADIVOSTOK (Russia), April 7 (NNN-XINHUA) — The population of Far Eastern leopard in the wild has exceeded 120 this year, up from 35 in the early 2000s, moving away from the extinction line, Russia’s PrimaMedia news agency reported.
Far Eastern leopard is the rarest of all large cats on Earth. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in 2007. Researchers of the Land of the Leopard National Park acquired the data by using camera traps in the Primorsky Territory, Russia.
The national park, established in Russia’s Far East in 2012 and covering an area of more than 470,000 hectares, is the main habitat for this rare leopard. Its population grows due to protection from poaching, logging, wild fires and environmental education of the local residents.
“It is important that nature remains in harmony, and maintains a natural balance. Large predators are an indicator of the state of the ecosystem: if the number of cats is stable, if they feel comfortable, then the whole nature is healthy,” said Viktor Bardyuk, director of the Land of the Leopard Federal State Budgetary Institution. — NNN-XINHUA