Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor)

Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) - Printable Version

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RE: Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) - Ngala - 11-25-2017

Sad news.

From Project Future4Leopards, November 17, 2017: Borna found dead

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We are sad to have to share the news with you that Borna, the first leopard equipped with a satellite GPS collar in the Middle East, has been found dead in Tandoureh. He was the largest leopard we investigated there and was famous among visitors to the park due to the stunning pictures so many were able to take of him.

He was first spotted by our crew in late September 2014, when he was trapped along a trail leading to wild pig. Estimated to be 4–6 years old, GPS location data retrieved from his collar showed he was a territorial resident male in the eastern margins of Tandoureh who made regular visits to villages near the park. Nevertheless, he never killed a domestic animal during his periodic excursions among people apart from one sheep. His collar detached automatically after one year, in September 2015, thanks to the advanced drop-off mechanism deployed on the collar. After that, based on camera trap images, he moved into inner parts of the national park. In 2016, almost all visitors to Tandoureh had the good fortune to encounter a calm and relaxed leopard, with their photographs all confirming that it was Borna they had seen.

After summer 2017 we never spotted him again, either directly or on the camera traps, making us wonder with growing anxiety what had happened to this very large and healthy male. Then, sadly, our crew found a destroyed carcass near a spring at the margin of the park, with the time since death estimated to be at least one month. A small patch of rosette markings remaining on the face confirmed that he was our famous leopard, Borna. The condition of the body did not permit determination of the cause of death of this animal, who was believed to be around eight years old, when a leopard is in its prime. The information we gained from tracking Borna helped to revolutionize our understanding of a leopard’s food requirements, its ranging patterns and how it coexists with humans.

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RE: Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) - Ngala - 01-06-2018

From Persian Leopard Conservation in Kurdistan, Iraq:
"Meet the newly found member of the Persian Leopard population in our proposed peace park area! Making the total number of Leopards roaming our study area to only 5 individuals! So much to be done!"

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RE: Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) - Ngala - 01-10-2018

From Project Future4Leopards, January 09, 2018: An adult leopard found dead in Sarigol

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In nature conservation we have to take both success stories and tragedies in our stride. Sadly, at the end of December 2017 an adult Persian leopard was found dead at high elevation in Sarigol National Park, northeastern Iran. The leopard, an adult male that had been known to our crew since autumn 2015 when it was identified during camera trapping surveys. He was estimated to be more than 10 years old when was found. The body was found intact some days after death, with no sign of injuries or bullet wounds. A post-mortem examination at the headquarters of the North Khorasan Department of Environments established with reasonable certainty that the cause of death was old age, with the leopard’s ability to survive severely reduced by the very poor state of its teeth.

In 2015, we recognized 10 adult leopards across an area as small as 70 km2, one of the highest leopard densities known from the Middle East. Nonetheless, it is very unlikely that an animal should be found dead even within such a small montane area. During the past five years, this is the second leopard mortality that has been detected in the area, the previous one being a young male which was reportedly killed by herders.

*This image is copyright of its original author

RE: Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) - Ngala - 01-14-2018

Persian Leopard caught with camera trap in Khar Turan National Park, north-east Iran. Credits to Panthera organization.