The official portal "Wild Nature of Russia" reported that the scientific group of the leopard conservation project of the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution has published the results of the program to restore this rare cat in the Central Caucasus from 2018 to 2023.
"Over five years, eight leopards have been released in the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania: four males and four females. Scientists monitored all spotted wards using GPS collars, which were equipped with all released leopards. They usually work for about a year and a half," - the message says.
Seven of the eight released leopards lived independently for at least one year, covering the full cycle of seasonal changes, which confirms their ability to adapt in the wild. The big cats successfully hunted both wild ungulates and small predators. Scientists noted that their wards avoid conflicts with humans.
"According to confirmed observations, two females, Volna and Laura, after wandering through the forests and mountains of North Ossetia, formed their own habitats in the mountains of Kabardino-Balkaria. One of them in April 2024 showed signs of active rut, which may indicate the imminent appearance of offspring from the released cats," - the message says.
Scientists note that leopards are regularly encountered in the same area on the territory of Chechnya. Of all the released predators, the female named Khosta has most successfully mastered this area. According to satellite telemetry, she repeatedly hunted there.
Another leopard named Chermen traveled across the Central Caucasus until the beginning of April 2024. During the entire period of his movements, he actively explored the Ardon-Urukh interfluve, the territory of the FGBU "Zapovednaya Ossetia-Alania" and partially Kabardino-Balkaria. His track repeatedly passed through the places that Laura, Agunda, Batraz, Leo and Volna mastered. He also repeatedly hunted in practically the same places as Leo and Batraz. By the beginning of April 2024, the area mastered by Chermen amounted to 2665 square kilometers, and the length of the routes was 1201 kilometers.
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