The population of the world’s large rare cat – the Far Eastern leopard – has been growing steadily over the past years, but it is still not stable enough. Viktor Bardyuk, the newly appointed director of Land of the Leopard National Park in Primorye, told RIA Novosti about the possibility of creating a backup leopard population, about Pamela Anderson’s “goddaughter” and whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might name a Far Eastern leopard.

Question: You have recently taken the position of national park director. From your past experience as deputy minister of natural resources of the Khabarovsk Territory, what plans do you have for Primorye?

Viktor Bardyuk: I have worked in environmental protection for 23 years. I began my career as a specialist and reached the position of chairman of the regional committee for environmental protection, so I am familiar with all areas of this work. I created and took part in the establishment of several protected areas, such as Anyuisky National Park, Shantar National Park and regional protected areas.

The Khabarovsk Territory has useful experience here, namely, the creation of environmental corridors. These protected areas connect two or more protected areas and serve as migration routes for tigers and their prey, ungulates. Here, in Primorye, I see that not all areas inhabited by leopards are protected, and there are cases when leopards are seen beyond the borders of the park. There are potential sites which can be used to recreate the historical habitat of the predator.

For instance, an obvious solution would be the creation of the Borisovo-Baranovsky environmental corridor adjacent to the northern part of the national park; many experts support this idea. In the Ussuri Nature Reserve, tigers take routes that go under bridges, and they were seen crossing the Khabarovsk-Vladivostok motorway. So, when creating migration infrastructure, establishing such a corridor would be very useful.

Question: What are your priorities in this position?

Viktor Bardyuk: Russia has a strategy to preserve the Amur tiger; it was approved in 2010. Earlier I took part in developing the action plan to preserve the Amur tiger, and many of its provisions were included in the strategy. The leopard preservation strategy was adopted in 2013 in Russia, but like any other strategy, it is a framework document, and concrete measures must be outlined in an action plan. This is what we are doing right now.

Land of the Leopard is developing a comprehensive action plan which will determine our work to protect the leopard and its habitat until 2024. This plan must conform with the Environment national project and the Preserving Biodiversity and Clean Country federal projects.

Question: When will it be ready?

Viktor Bardyuk: We are putting it together right now. Of course, we will discuss it with national park experts and the scientific community.

Question: What are the forecasts for the leopard population? Can we say that it is stable and not threatened anymore?

Viktor Bardyuk: No, don’t say that, you’ll jinx it. I’m joking, of course. The population is quite small, only about 100 animals, so we can’t say that it is stable. The leopard remains classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, as this subspecies is still on the brink of extinction.

We will be able to relax a bit once there are at least 150 adult animals in the wild. It is a number, which, according to biologists, guarantees stability and enough genetic diversity within the population so that there will be no inbreeding. So we have a long road ahead; the population should at least be doubled.

Question: Is the leopard population in Primorye growing?

Viktor Bardyuk: Yes, of course. The creation of the national park to preserve the predator has been a very successful project. At the recent Eastern Economic Forum it was recognised as a success story. Increasing the number of animals from 30-35 to 86, almost three times, in just 10 years is no small feat.

It happened, first of all, due to the efforts of project supervisor Sergei Ivanov. He noted the problem in 2007 and instructed the Russian government and the Russian Academy of Sciences to establish a protected area on the basis of the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve and the Leopardovy Nature Sanctuary, and to build service facilities in the village of Barabash in order to protect the leopard. Land of the Leopard was established in 2012; a central compound was built in the village of Barabash in 2017. Ivanov’s instructions have been implemented, and they have brought results of global importance.

Question: Won’t it be too crowded in Primorye when there are 150 leopards? It was reported earlier that the national park was thinking about moving leopards to the southern Primorye Territory because the number of animals is close to the optimal limit.

Viktor Bardyuk: Migration is a natural and necessary process. Like many wild animals, leopards, especially males, tend to migrate and explore new areas. But we can’t say that the area is too small for them. Yes, leopard hunting grounds can overlap. But several females can live on one male’s home range, and younger males can patrol the borders. As research shows, there are no limits on population density. When there are enough ungulates, the hunting grounds get smaller.

Question: Speaking of migration. Building possible wildlife crossings over motorways and reintroducing these animals in the Ussuri and Lazovsky nature reserves have been mentioned. `How is the project going? Does it fit in with your idea of environmental corridors?

Viktor Bardyuk: We will work to restore the historical habitat of the leopard, provide for predators’ migration and create environmental corridors. There is foreign experience, and there is Russia’s first eco-tunnel. If full-fledged migration is impossible, for instance, across the Khabarovsk-Vladivostok motorway, we will work on creating a backup population. It is necessary even if it is isolated. If something happened to the main population, for instance, an epidemic, then the backup population would be used to restore the main one.

Question: When will the work begin to create the backup population?

Viktor Bardyuk: We are working on it. This all is in the planning stage and requires an extensive discussion with the scientific and expert community. For instance, there was a “positive” experience during the Soviet era, when decisions were taken and implemented fast – they introduced the muskrat population. This species from North America multiplied everywhere. What advantage is there now? Why was this done at all?

Everything has to be considered to avoid conflict situations so that the leopard does not negatively affect local residents at sites where we will create the population. Although the Far Eastern leopard does not attack humans –at least no cases have been recorded – it can attack domestic animals, and we should take all precautions. There should be prey, and it should be assessed in order to say whether there will be enough hoofed animals for leopards at the Lazovsky Nature Reserve, for example, where they will migrate.

Question: Are other Far Eastern regions being considered as migration sites?

Viktor Bardyuk: Actually, the leopard range was historically large; leopards were spotted even in the Khingan Mountains (Jewish Autonomous Region and Amur Region). But I think it shouldn't be so far away as leopards are not adapted to severe and snowy conditions like tigers are. The best habitat for them is southern Primorye, with its more or less mild climate, slopes with little or no snow during the whole winter, and a relative abundance of hoofed animals.

Question: No leopards live in the Khabarovsk Territory, but tigers do. You specialised more in protecting this wild cat. Is there any difference in protecting the populations of tigers and leopards? 

Viktor Bardyuk: No, there is not much difference between big cats. Their ecotopes are different though: leopards inhabit mountain ranges and river basins while tigers can be seen in creek valleys. Tigers also like roads, while leopards do not approach them.

Question: Earlier reports said two Far Eastern leopard cubs were born for the first time in 60 years at the Moscow Zoo, from Nikolai the leopard. How are they?

Viktor Bardyuk: Nikolai’s two cubs are doing well at the Moscow Zoo. Their mother is a leopard from the zoo, but she is purebred. This is one of the areas of activity that should be developed. Sergei Ivanov, when visiting the national park's compound, said, “There are some 300 Far Eastern leopards in zoos, and only a hundred in the wild. I wish it were the other way around." We will work in this direction.  

Question: Have new cubs been spotted in the national park?

Viktor Bardyuk: Cameras constantly capture cubs. The leopard population density has grown, and these cats are more often spotted by trail cameras. Last year, we got about 6,500 images of leopards, while in the first six months of 2018 the number was nearly 8,000. It is difficult to identify young leopards. They have to shed their coats, their fur must fall out, and their spots must take on a specific pattern and colouring. Compared to adult leopards, cubs have a higher mortality rate, and only adult leopards are logged in our database. 

Question: Is the park planning any joint leopard preservation projects with China?

Viktor Bardyuk: China is a necessary focus area as our leopards migrate to China to seek new grounds and new prey. Also, male leopards have an orienting response, and they like to walk in the neighbouring country. China takes certain steps as regards joint work. At meetings of joint Russia-China working groups for biodiversity conservation, we have long urged them to create protected cross-border areas that would be complementary to ours. For instance, there is the Strelnikov Ridge on the border of the Primorye and Khabarovsk territories, where hoofed animals and tigers migrate. 

Following numerous appeals from the Russian side, China created the Wanda Shan protected area. Then, they combined three wildlife reserves into the federally administered National Park of Tiger and Leopard. They announced its establishment, and according to plans, considerable funds will go towards implementing measures to preserve and restore the tiger and leopard population. So, the conditions are in place for creating a Russia-China cross-border wildlife reserve.

But first must come work by experts, then intergovernmental bodies, a working group, a sub-commission for environmental protection, and after that an intergovernmental agreement should be signed. We expect this work to take about two years.

Question: Are there plans to work with North Korea on leopard preservation? Have their experts suggested cooperation?

Viktor Bardyuk: The only cooperation project with the DPRK on the preservation of biodiversity is being implemented as part of the UN project on sustainable development and economic cooperation in Northeast Asia; a representative of North Korea takes part in it. Research on the tiger and leopard habitat in North Korea has been discussed there. However, no action followed. But given the isolation policy of North Korea, maybe this is a good first step.

Question: Is the national park interested in data exchange with North Korean experts?

Viktor Bardyuk: Yes, of course. The park borders on North Korea, and leopard migration is possible across Tumangang, the Tuman River. Camera traps captured a leopard near the border, although the swampy land is not a typical habitat of the leopard. We don’t know how many leopards inhabit North Korea.

Question: Has North Korea provided any data about its leopard population?

Viktor Bardyuk: No, and I think that our southern colleagues do not know themselves how many leopards they have.

Question: How are Sergei Ivanov’s and Pamela Anderson’s “godchildren” doing?

Viktor Bardyuk: As for Ivanov’s “goddaughter,” Dunya, she is doing well. She is eight years old; she is active and good at hunting. At the moment she might be pregnant. We will see in the autumn. We don’t know who the father might be yet. Sometimes camera traps capture leopards’ “dates,” but not in this case.

Pamela the leopardess is also fine. In early 2018, she was seen with her second cub, and at the moment they are staying together. Judging from what we saw, they are well-fed and healthy.

The leopard keeper institute is actually an interesting practice and can be introduced to other protected areas.

Question: There have been events where Russians chose names for leopards. Will there be more?

Viktor Bardyuk: Yes, this practice should continue and expand, maybe with holding adults’ and children’s votes. Plans call for another such event soon. Fortunately, there are many unnamed leopards: there are some new 50 animals that were seen in 2017. We are also planning to name leopards in honour of visits by famous people.

Question: How about offering Kim Jong-un the chance to name a leopard if he visits Primorye and the national park in particular?  

Viktor Bardyuk: Kim Jong-un? Quite possible. Given that he travels by train and the Baranovsky-Khasan railway runs along Land of the Leopard borders, it would be convenient to visit the park. If he supports the idea of studying the Far Eastern leopard in his country, he could become a leopard keeper.  

Question: Do you have a favourite leopard yet?

Viktor Bardyuk: We love all of the leopards, without exception. All of them are unique and each of them is a wonder of nature. It would be an irreplaceable loss to lose any of them. So we love all of them, and will protect them all.