The number of endangered Amur tigers and Far Eastern leopards has increased as a result of measures to protect rare animals, said Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov at a meeting with President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

According to Sergei Ivanov, the law on upgrading penalties for poaching endangered animals, adopted at the initiative of the President, turned out to be effective and yielded the expected results.

In addition, the Far Eastern leopard preservation programme is making good progress. Recently, the number of these rare cats has grown from 30 to 130, and it is even getting crowded in their current habitat.

This year, Russia plans to open a second national park north of Vladivostok called Ussuriysky, where several Far Eastern leopards will be relocated at the end of 2023.

“The habitat is suitable for them: there are ungulates, there is food, everything is provided,” Sergei Ivanov said.

He also noted that programmes to protect other rare animal species were being successfully implemented, because a quarter of Russia’s territory is under some form of protection: from nature reserves and sanctuaries to national parks. Today Russia ranks first in the world for total area of protected territories.