In early December, the territory of Land of the Leopard was expanded through the addition of a 6,928-hectare cluster area on Gamov Peninsula in the Khasan District, Primorye Territory. The initiative was advanced by the Far Eastern Leopards autonomous non-profit organisation, which had owned this locality since 2017 and where Far Eastern leopards and Amur tigers were often spotted.

“Thanks to our concerted efforts, the population of the Far Eastern leopard has tripled over the past years,” said Viktor Bardyuk, director of Land of the Leopard National Park. “This rare cat is returning to its traditional habitat. However, it is no easy task to protect the leopards’ safety, habitat and prey in unprotected areas. The addition of the new cluster to the park’s territory will allow us to expand the leopards’ habitat and to more reliably make sure that they are safe.”

Currently, Gamov Leopards park is located in the cluster area. The infrastructure improvement work that is planned over a period of the next few years will create conditions for monitoring not only the spotted wild cats but other animals too.