Researchers of the joint directorate of Land of the Leopard National Park and the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve have begun to study wild cats’ habits using snow tracks. Since the work started several days ago, specialists have succeeded in tracking three leopards to understand their daily routine.

Analysing tracks in the snow is aimed primarily at studying animal behaviour. The scientists follow two- or three-days worth of an animal’s tracks, paying attention to its movements, markings and where it spends nights. Unlike other methods of studying populations, tracking provides more information about the animal’s daily life.

“Tracking wild cats can only be carried out in Russia as the main habitat of these animals is located in the tropics and subtropics where it never snows. The trail cameras only provide information about the behaviour of the animal at one particular location, and only here in the north do we have a unique opportunity to get an inside look at the lives of  rare animals,” said Yelena Salmanova, Land of the Leopard’s deputy director for science and environmental education.

This year, the tracking efforts began relatively early as snow fell in early December. The snow cover is now about 4 cm. The researchers have already obtained some interesting results – in particular, they monitored the daily routine of a local ‘celebrity’ leopard named Meamur. For three days, specialists followed the trails to find out the path the leopard takes through his territory to leave markings, as well as his night-time sleeping place where, judging by the prints, he spent more than one night. Just like other leopards, Meamur prefers a secluded spot – in this case, a small rocky enclosed shelter which protects his sleeping place from precipitation.

“Tracking is not only an important and useful way to study animals, it’s also very interesting,” Salmanova says. “You don’t see the animal directly – but gradually, by following the snow prints, you begin to actually ‘see’ it. The tracks reveal the personality of each animal. For instance, some leopards are very ambitious and walk many kilometres a day to assert their right to the territory, while another animal might perch himself near a cliff, as if admiring the landscape,” she says.

Tracking female wild cats with cubs is of particular interest to researchers. This year, they have had some success tracking a female tiger and her cub inhabiting the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve. Unlike other methods of studying animals, tracking reveals how a wild cat’s hunting strategy changes while she is raising cubs and how the mother teaches them to hunt for themselves.

Tracking at Kedrovaya Pad and Land of the Leopard is expected to continue throughout the winter, provided there is sufficient snowfall. As researchers follow tracks over many kilometres, they also place trail cameras at locations popular with leopards and gather feces samples for genetic analysis, allowing them to identify each animal individually.