The Land of the Leopard National Park staff have received proof that the name given to one of the park’s trails, the Leopard Path, is indeed appropriate.

A trail camera on a regular tourist route recorded the park employee who installed it and later a group of tourists with a guide at the entrance to a cave frequented by a leopard. The tourists left without seeing the shy animal, but the trail camera recorded its presence.

Soon after the tourists left, an adult male leopard, the sibling of Lord, who was given its name for its white forepaws, came into the camera’s view. It sniffed the soil where people stood only a short while before and then cautiously entered the cave, dragged the leg of a roe deer it stashed there outside, and settled in front of the camera to eat it.

Yelena Salmanova, the park’s deputy director for science and environmental education, said that this leopard regularly came to the cave. The park management is considering announcing a contest for a name for that leopard.

“Those who walk by the Leopard Path ask if their presence can frighten away the rare Far Eastern leopard,” she said. “Our experience shows that we needn’t fear this. The leopard is a very inquisitive cat, and after people go away, it steps in because it needs to know who was there and why, unlike the tigers, who usually keep away from the places visited by people.”

Salmanova emphasised that the Far Eastern leopard is never the first to attack people. It is a cautious animal which tries to keep as far away from humans as possible, but always returns to find out who visited its areal.