A meeting on studying the cross-border movements of rare wild cats using trail cameras and DNA analysis took place in Harbin this week. Russia was represented by experts of Land of the Leopard National Park, the Amur Tiger Centre and the Institute of Biology and Soil Science of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The DNA monitoring of the Far Eastern leopards and Amur tigers first started at Land of the Leopard National Park and in northern China in early 2015, with support from the Russian Environment Ministry. At the first stage, experts collected samples of fur and feces and extracted samples of DNA at the Institute of Biology and Soil Science labs.

During the final stage, the DNA samples are to be studied with special equipment in Harbin. At the meeting, Russian, Chinese and South Korean experts discussed the scope and terms of this research.

Approximately 250 DNA samples of rare wild cats from the two countries will be sent to the labs. Currently, researchers at the Institute of Biology and Soil Science are working on paperwork to send 170 samples from Russia. It is expected that the genetic research will take several months, after which the samples will be studied again at Seoul National University.

“Despite the wide use of genetic methods in the modern world, genetic monitoring of wild animals is not entirely successful. Thanks to this project, the method was improved based on the data collected in Russia and China. It is also important that all the samples will be processed at the same place using the same method. Additionally, the study of the samples in South Korea may allow us to work out a more accurate genetic analysis method,” said Yelena Salmanova, deputy director for research and environmental education at Land of the Leopard National Park.

The meeting participants agreed that, despite its short term and the lack of breakthrough results, the collaborative research was an important step in Russia’s and China’s wild cat conservation efforts. The preliminary results of the tiger and leopard count have shown an increase in the population of the two species in both countries.