The return of the spotted cats
Recently, in the national park, they said goodbye to two young leopards of a rare species – the Near East. They were sent to free bread in nature.
Before being released, the cats went through a preparation program for life in the wild and passed a series of tests. The test system included an evaluation of the hunting behavior of the animals, as well as their reaction to humans and livestock. All of this is the key to the survival of spotted cats in the wild.
The leopard recovery center in the Caucasus was created to train a population of this rare predator. Until the middle of the 20th century, these cats were regular representatives of the Caucasian fauna. But then their numbers dropped dramatically. To restore the population, a special program was adopted within the framework of the national project “Ecology”. The goal is to create a stable group of leopards of at least 50 individuals.
And the specialists of the center get it. For the first time in world practice, in captivity, they formed a pair of wild individuals and received offspring from them. And then they successfully prepared it for an independent life and released it into its natural habitat. In total, since 2016, 13 young Persian leopards (Caucasian leopards) have been released into the wild.
61 kilograms of beauty
She was the first to come out this year from her enclosure in the center of Achipse, she is almost two years old.
“A very secretive cat,” said Nikolai Voronin, head of the Leopard Recovery Center in the Caucasus. “This behavioral feature of the leopard is especially characteristic of females. The vegetation. And it did not appear from there until the next day. This , by the way, is a very good indicator!”
Achipse was released on the territory of the Turmonsky State Nature Reserve in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. And eight days later, his sister, Chilmas, was also sent there. They were born on the same day – July 30, 2021.
He also did well in exams. According to the conclusion of the commission, the predator is in excellent physical shape, its hunting behavior is formed. “Chilmas is perfectly built and physically healthy. He became our champion. The handsome man’s weight is 61 kilograms! This is the highest figure among his predecessors,” said veterinarian Mikhail Alshinetsky.
On the eve of departure, under general anesthesia, specialists put a special collar on this unique predator, conducted an examination and measurements, and took tests. And before departure, they were placed in a special transport cage. Now he is free.
Love story
The parents of the “graduates”, the Persian leopards Shiva and Philou, who arrived several years ago from the Swedish zoo, had a new kitten in July.
With a difference of several days, a baby was born to a couple of Olympia and Sinbad. Firstborn. The sex of the kittens will be known only in two months; it will be determined by the center staff before the first preventive vaccinations.
By the way, Olympia was born to a couple of Zadig and Andrea, transferred from the Lisbon Zoo as part of an exchange under the European Program for the Conservation and Reproduction of Rare Species. Olympia is a cat with special characteristics. As a child, due to an injury, she had to amputate his leg.
Despite this, the seven-year-old predator feels great, successfully hunts and climbs trees. Usually, males do not create pairs with such females. But the specialists of the center managed to make friends with Olympia Sinbad. The appearance of descendants from this union can be considered a great achievement.
Sinbad was brought from French Cat Park under the same exchange program. He has 10 years.
And in total, 14 individuals of the Near Asian leopards are now kept in the center. Since 2013, 27 kittens have been born here.
Direct speech
Alexander Kozlov, Head of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources:
– Behind every young animal released into the wild, behind every newborn kitten at the Leopard Restoration Center in the Caucasus, there is a great work of scientists, their employees, all who, step by step, help the Persian leopard to go a long way.
We must give the Caucasian spotted cat as many opportunities as possible to survive: help the center, preserve the unique mountain ecosystems, provide a food base, and not interfere. The Persian leopard is one of the priority animal species of the national project “Ecology”, the restoration of its population in Russia requires a special approach. This is a task that today we are solving in a complex way.
Read all the texts on national projects here.
