Two 1.5-month-old Far Eastern leopard cubs without a mother were found and rescued on a highway near the borders of the Land of the Leopard National Park in Primorsky Krai. This is reported by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia on its website. “The Red Book kittens, which have recently learned to walk, were caught so that they would not die in the cold or under the wheels of cars. This is the first case of forced removal from the wild of the rarest leopards at such a young age, there have been no such cases even with tigers,” the department noted.
According to experts, the kittens strayed from their mother because of the high snow cover. Employees of the "Land of the Leopard", having discovered the animals, organized round-the-clock surveillance, hoping that the mother would find the kids and the family would be reunited. But even after a thorough survey of the area, no traces of adults were found.
Probably, the mother took the kittens out of the den for the first time and tried to take them to the prey, but the family was separated by the Razdolnoe-Khasan highway. The kittens may have been frightened of open spaces, and therefore they were not able to cross the road to follow their mother. It is possible that due to the high snow cover, the kids would not have survived even in the event of a family reunion, experts say.
“Further cooling and a layer of snow three times higher than the kittens themselves threatened with frostbite and further death of the little leopards. And being near a busy highway could lead to the fact that the kids would be crushed by a car,” the Ministry of Natural Resources said.
As a result, specialists from the Land of the Leopard nature reserves decided to remove the kittens from the wild in order to save them. They were provided with safe transportation to the Rehabilitation Center of the Regional Public Organization “Tigr Center”.
The capture was made without harm to animals. Examination of veterinarians showed that there were no external injuries in kittens. The babies have been quarantined and are being monitored around the clock.
As noted in the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, in the wild, cubs of the Far Eastern leopard begin to walk well only 35 days after birth. Now captured kittens are about 45 days old, and at this time they should not often leave the den.
“Now veterinarians will have to provide proper care for the cubs, constant monitoring and special nutrition,” the message says.
Participants discussed the boundary between nature and ecotourism, whether mass visits to unique areas can remain safe, the responsibilities of investors, and how to prepare tourists for visiting specially protected natural areas.
The head of state expressed confidence that the Forum will be held at a high level, and that its results will contribute to the development of tourism in Russia and the expansion of humanitarian and business ties.
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