Far Eastern leopard recorded for the first time in the Lazovsky Reserve

The rescued leopard Leo 260M became the first in the history of the Far Eastern leopard to reach the Lazovsky Reserve in southern Primorye. On the way to the record milestone, the young predator covered one hundred kilometers from the Ussuri Reserve, where he was resettled as part of reintroduction.

Far Eastern leopard Leo 260M is a predator of outstanding fate. One of the 125 rarest cats, it was discovered in the summer of 2022 without a mother, exhausted and weak - on the border of the Land of the Leopard National Park. The orphan was taken to the Rehabilitation Center, where the Leo 260M gradually gained strength, learned hunting and other skills that the leopard needs to survive in the wild. In the spring of 2023, Leo 260M became one of three Far Eastern leopards relocated to the Ussurisky Reserve as part of the reintroduction program.

 The reserve is included in the historical range of the Far Eastern leopard, but due to human activity, spotted cats have not been seen here for more than half a century. The Leo 260M was chosen as one of the pioneers, but it did not stop there. Hardened by trials, the young beast began to actively explore the surroundings of the reserve in search of a hunting area. The search dragged the Leo 260M to the northeast, and as a result it reached the Lazovsky Reserve – this area is located on the border of the historical range of the Far Eastern leopard, spotted predators have not been seen here in more than 70 years. And the road from one reserve to another, which was about a hundred kilometers along the Ussuri taiga, became a record for the subspecies among the recorded cases. The territories on which the Leo 260M is now recorded are part of the historical range of the Far Eastern leopard, these predators lived here until the middle of the last century. Observations are currently ongoing. Recall that the main part of the modern wild population of the Far Eastern leopard is located in the south-west of the Primorsky Territory, where it is protected in the Land of the Leopard National Park.

The Far Eastern leopard and its habitats have been protected for 11 years, the animal has been successfully saved from extinction. Moreover, its number is growing every year, and the issue of expanding the current range of the subspecies is gradually gaining urgency. To this end, a project has been initiated to reintroduce the Far Eastern leopard to the Ussurisky Reserve, which should become a springboard for further cat resettlement in the historical area. It is according to the scenario of such a settlement that the history of Leo 260M is now developing, shared Victor Bardyuk, Director of the FGBI “Land of the Leopard”.

The first of its kind project of reintroduction of the Far Eastern leopard is being implemented under the scientific guidance of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution named after A.N. Severtsov RAS (IPE RAS) with the support of the FSBI “Land of the Leopard” and ANO “Far Eastern leopards”. Three young predators were relocated in late spring from the Land of the Leopard National Park to the reserve: female Leo 284F, male Leo 260M and Leo 270M. National Park "Land of the Leopard" preserves the unique nature of the south-western Primorye, including the Far Eastern leopard - the rarest large cat in the world. At the beginning of the XXI century, there were only 35 of them, but with the advent of the Land of the Leopard, the number of the beast began to grow. There are already 125 wild Far Eastern leopards living in Russia today.