The contest for the right to name one of the seven Far Eastern leopards is underway and the number of participants is growing every week. People from all walks of life, of different ages and occupations expressed their desire to name the spotted feline. The contestants include, among others, the director of a children’s environmentalist club from a village near Khanty-Mansiysk, a manager from Ussuriysk, a nursery teacher from Surgut, and a journalist from Vladivostok. Their achievements also vary. Some have found an opportunity to help preserve the leopard population through their work – for example, by covering environmental issues in the media. Meanwhile, some have taken part in nature conservation campaigns and other have planted trees and helped build feeding stations for wild animals.

“The contest geography is expanding. We receive responses from very different people with different experience and opinions,” Valentina Vysotskaya, head of the Land of the Leopard federal state budgetary institution's Environmental Education Department, said. “Their interest in nature and, specifically, the Far Eastern leopard, is what they have in common. We try to raise awareness of this rare feline, hoping that the number of such people will increase.”

The deadline for applications is 25 December 2014. Thirty finalists will be selected by the end of January 2015. A special jury consisting of third party conservation organisations will select seven winners. Leonard Keepers will be announced in the third stage in early February 2015.

The Land of the Leopard National Park started the Leopard Keeper contest last summer. Anyone can take part as long as they are interested in preserving the population of the rarest large feline in the world and show their direct involvement in these efforts. Even distributing information about the leopard is a contribution towards the preservation of the population.