The Caucasus Biosphere Reserve is exploring the possibility of obtaining wild leopards from Turkmenistan and Pakistan to help replenish the endangered species population in Russia, Director of the Sochi National Park, Sergey Shevelev, announced this information at a conservation forum at Sirius University, reported TASS on Wednesday.
According to Shevelev, discussions with both countries began three months ago as part of a program to restore the Persian leopard, whose population drastically declined due to hunting and had entirely vanished from the Caucasus by the 20th century.
To reintroduce this rare predator into its historical habitat, Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology initiated a species restoration program, establishing a dedicated center in Sochi National Park with support from President Vladimir Putin.