The new documentary, LEO80: A Leopard’s Story, on the unusual life of this spotted predator, will premiere on the Zhivaya Planeta [Living Planet] TV channel at 2 pm on 19 November.

The main character is the young Far Eastern leopard Leo 80M, who in June 2015 injured his paw in a poacher’s trap and was found by Russian border guards on the Russian-Chinese border. The film shows veterinarians operating on the leopard and rehabilitation centre employees teaching him to hunt and preparing him to be released to the wild. However, there were doubts that Leo 80M would be able to survive in the taiga with his injured paw, so experts decided to introduce the representative of this rare leopard subspecies to the zoo breeding programme.

Viewers will also learn many interesting facts about the anatomy, habitat, mating habits and lifestyle of the Far Eastern leopard.

LEO80: A Leopard’s Story is an exclusive joint project of Zhivaya Planeta and the autonomous non-profit organisation Far Eastern Leopards. The crew filmed in the Primorye Territory, on the Russian-Chinese border where the leopard was found, at the Centre for the Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Tigers and Other Rare Animals in the village of Alekseyevka, and the Moscow Zoo nursery.