Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
This is the critically-endangered leopard that seems to love posing for photos in front of a nature reserve’s hidden cameras.
Images of the majestic leopard have been shared by the Land of the Leopard National Park in Russia’s far-eastern region of Primorsky Krai, which shares the country’s only border with North Korea.
The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), identified as Leo 128M, was first captured by the park’s hidden cameras in 2017.
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The leopard was not seen again until the end of 2018 and park staff began to worry about it.
However, Leo 128M has recently reappeared and has been passing by the hidden camera for a series of impressive snaps.
Park experts said the male appears healthy and is well formed. It has also been spotted many times with members of the opposite sex and appears to be popular with the ladies.
They also said that the area is rich in food at this time of the year.
Amur leopards are a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of south-eastern Russia and northern China.
They are listed as Critically Endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
As of 2015, fewer than 60 individuals were estimated to be living in Russia and China.
In 2019, it was reported that the population is close to 90 leopards.
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