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Persian leopard in the Caucasus
The Persian (Anatolian) leopard has been listed as Endangered since 2016; 750-1,044 animals live across its range, most of them in Iran. In the Caucasus only scattered individuals survive, dependent on dispersal from Iran.
Open on the interactive globe2022 estimates: Armenia 3-9 animals, Azerbaijan 8-19, Georgia 1, Russia 6. More than half of recorded deaths are retaliatory killings for attacks on livestock; leopards are also threatened by snares, minefields and fenced borders. A male named Aren, which most likely lost a leg to a landmine, travelled from Armenia to Georgia. In Russia, the Leopard Restoration Centre in Sochi has been releasing captive-born leopards into the wild since 2018; Georgia's NACRES has only three permanent staff after losing USAID support in 2025.
Species
| Species | IUCN status | Population | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panthera pardus tulliana Panthera pardus tulliana | endangered (IUCN EN) | (2022) | en.wikipedia.org |
Needs
- anti-poaching
- habitat
Who is helping
Organisations that, according to their own publications, work on this event (3). Donations go directly to each organisation's own website - GLOBURNS does not handle payments.
- Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC)An Armenian foundation that has run the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge, the region's only private protected area, since 2011. It monitors Persian leopards with camera traps…
- Leopard Restoration Centre in the CaucasusA centre in Sochi National Park that breeds Persian leopards and prepares cubs for life in the wild without human contact. Animals have been released in North Ossetia…
- WWF (WWF)WWF is an international conservation network working for species, forests, oceans and climate. In Poland about 200 Blue Patrol volunteers help seals, harbour porpoises…Donate on the organisation's website (wwf.pl)
Sources
- news.mongabay.com news.mongabay.com/2026/05/endangered-persian-leopards-persist-across-borders-despite-hunt…
- en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panthera_pardus_tulliana
- fpwc.org fpwc.org/contents/newsPress/armenias-most-endangered-cat-the-persian-leopard-in-cwr
- wwf.am wwf.am/our_work_armenia/ongoing_projects/conservation_of_the_leopard_in_armenia
- rg.ru rg.ru/2025/07/15/reg-skfo/leopard-pomogaet-zashchishchat-kavkaz-ot-ekologicheskih-katastr…
Seed record, before editorial verification. Every number links to its source; report errors on the Corrections page. Methodology · Corrections
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