Pictures of the world’s rarest wild cats can be seen at the Far Eastern Leopard photo exhibition, held as part of the fourth Russia’s Primeval Nature festival at Moscow’s Central House of Artists. Over 500 wildlife photos from all around Russia, including pictures taken by Yury Shibnev, Toshiji Fukuda and Valery Maleyev will be on display from 20 January to 26 February.

“Sometimes, the photographer has to wait weeks to take one good photo of an Amur tiger or a Far Eastern leopard, or wait for a polar bear from Wrangel Island to pose for a photo,” Sergei Ivanov, Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport and Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Year of the Environment, said at the opening ceremony. He also said that the year’s programme will feature events aimed at both improving the environment and raising public awareness of environmental protection.

Winners of the second Camera Trap 2016 contest were presented with awards during the opening ceremony. A picture of the Far Eastern leopard Typhoon from the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve was among the best.

Guests of this year’s festival will be treated to film screenings, lectures, meetings with photographers and directors of nature reserves and national parks, and workshops and quizzes. The programme will feature a screening of the documentary by the Zhivaya Planeta (Living Planet) TV channel, LEO80: A Leopard's Story, about a Far Eastern leopard rescued by border guards; a lecture by Japanese photographer Toshiji Fukuda, Nature Without Borders, about taking pictures of animals of the Far East, and The Most Beautiful Country photo exhibition by the Russian Geographical Society.

The Russia's Primeval Nature festival has been held since 2014. After being displayed in Moscow, the wildlife photos will be exhibited in other Russian cities and foreign countries. The main topics in 2017 will be the Russian nature reserve system, celebrating its 100^th anniversary, and the Year of the Environment.