An unnamed Far Eastern leopardess, Leo 73F, who lives in the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve, has finally got a name chosen by her keeper, the Primorochka women’s volleyball club, the club’s official website reported. The same name went to the club’s mascot. The players hope that it will bring them good luck at home tournaments.

Anyone could come up with a name for the spotted predator on the club’s official website or its social network accounts on 6-9 February. Then, Primorochka players began choosing the best name for the leopardess from among those proposed by users. The team liked the name Leia most. It was suggested by a Primorochka fan, Yevgeniya Lozitskaya from Vladivostok.

“The fact that the club has got a mascot has stirred very positive emotions. It’s great when your favourite team has something special […] I am happy that the name I suggested for the mascot will be enshrined in the club’s history and that it will be given to a real leopard living in our region!” Yevgeniya said, sharing her emotions on becoming the winner.

“It’s great that our fans responded enthusiastically when asked to help choose the name for the mascot. […] Leia is a superb fairytale name, and it suits a graceful cat well,” echoed Yevgeniya Snegiryova, Primorochka’s middle blocker.

Leo 73F is a young female around four years old. She was first captured by camera traps in 2013. This is not the first time a spotted predator has become a sports club mascot. Valera the leopard is the live mascot of the Admiral hockey club. And his fellow leopard Buba was picked as the mascot for the VTB United League. Like Leia, Buba, too, received his name through a fan vote.