A tantalising glimpse of a Caucasian Leopard
July 2013. Leopards are elusive animals at the best of times but in the vicinity of the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge (CWR) it has been eight years since one had been seen. If it hadn't been for traces of hair and a scat found in the CWR and proven to belong to a Caucasian Leopard, we might still be wondering if they really did exist.
As of last week, the World Land Trust came another step nearer to seeing a leopard up close. But the leopards are determined to live up to their elusive reputation and so far have toyed with the watchers by only showing a tail!
Caucasus Wildlife Refuge
The landmark recording was made in July in the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge, which is supported by World Land Trust (WLT) and IUCN-Netherlands. The Caucasus Wildlife Refuge is managed by WLT's conservation partner in Armenia, the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC).
Manuk Manukyan, FPWC's Coordinator of Conservation Projects, is one of the few people to have seen a Caucasian Leopard in the wild, being lucky enough to catch sight of one nearly a decade ago. He told WLT: "The leopard is no longer a ghost! We know he (or she) is there and that the habitat is suitable. It is very quiet and there is plenty of prey. We will adjust the cameras and sooner or later we will get pictures of the entire animal."
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