The press service of the Land of the Leopard National Park has shared the results of 10 years of photomonitoring of the Far Eastern leopard. Scientists have processed about 3 million images of wild animals, of which about 140 thousand are of the endangered leopard. These photographs have become the basis for unique research.
To collect such a volume of data, scientists have walked thousands of kilometers over rough terrain. Over the ten years of research, the lenses of photo traps have captured not only representatives of large felines, but also ungulates, bears, canines, and mustelids.
Nevertheless, a special place in the general array of data is occupied by images with leopards. Last year alone, these animals were recorded on 80% of all photo traps. In total, 129 adult leopards and 14 kittens were recorded last year. Photomonitoring is the main method of studying endangered cats. A network of 500 cameras allows not only to count them, but also to assess other parameters of the population's state. In particular, specialists can study the relationships between individuals.
"Thus, scientists have found that the Far Eastern leopard and the Amur tiger coexist and do not conflict in conditions of a common range. The question of the territoriality of the Far Eastern leopard has been investigated: it turned out that two adult individuals, namely a mother and a grown daughter, can regularly meet within one hunting area. It has been established that there are more females than males in the predator population - a good reproductive indicator," the statement says.
Specialists can also count other animals using photo traps. Such monitoring made it possible to determine the number of brown and white-breasted bears in the national park, as well as to confirm the presence of the Amur goral.
Blogs
