A man recorded a Far Eastern leopard who came close to the motorway next to Land of the Leopard National Park near the village of Barabash. Scientists have identified the animal in the video as female leopard Leo 69F.

The video shows the rare predator standing near the road and looking at the passing cars, undisturbed by the noise. Tatyana Baranovskaya, director of Land of the Leopard, said the scientists had seen this kind of leopard reaction to vehicles before. “The thing is that wild animals see cars as something less dangerous and threatening than a walking human,” she said. “But as soon as they notice a human inside the car, they retreat into hiding, as we saw in this case.”

The people who took the video acted cleverly – they did not leave the car but indicated their presence with loud noises and eye contact.

Leo 69F is one of the oldest residents in the national park who was first recorded by camera traps in 2008. Experts said it was difficult to judge the animal’s health, but the wild cat seemed to be healthy and well-fed.