Experts from the research department at Leopard Land National Park and their partners intend to carry out studies aimed at sustaining the peaceful coexistence of tigers and leopards in Russia’s Specially Protected Natural Areas, the Primorye Territory public relations office said in a statement.

A February 2013 scientific survey revealed that the population of the Amur leopard, the world’s rarest cat, has increased across its habitat along with the population of its closest neighbour, the Amur tiger, raising concern among experts that the increasing tiger population within the leopard’s habitat could exacerbate competition between the two predators.

The population of the Amur leopard has climbed from 32 to 47, while the number of tigers within the leopards range has been estimated at 20 to 23. Overall, 450 to 500 Amur tigers were recorded in the Khabarovsk and Primorye Territories during the 2005 survey.

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Leopard Land National Park was established a year ego with the goal to preserve and restore the population of the Amur leopard. Leopard Land encompasses the Kedrovaya Pad Natural Reserve and Leopard Federal Wildlife Reserve across the Nadezhdinsky and Khasansky districts in the Primorye Territory, Frunzensky district of Vladivostok, and Ussuriisky municipal district. Leopard Land National Park is approximately 280,000 hectares.

Comment by Dina Matuykhina, research fellow at Leopard Land National Park:

The most important part of our research now is the competitive relationship between tigers and leopards, which are sympatric species (i.e. inhabiting the same geographic region). They share the same limited habitat areas and their nutritional base (in this case, the dappled deer) overlaps. Both the tiger and the leopard are largely dependent on the size of the deer population, which increases the competition between them.

The last survey was in February 2013. It showed that the number of leopards had increased (the confirmed population is about 47), and the tiger population had also increased to 20-23 individuals. Competition between the two species is expected to intensify as a result of the growing populations. But will it play out this way? In fact, tigers and leopards have inhabited this area for thousands of years, and the leopard is still here. There have been cases when a tiger has tracked and killed a leopard, but this is rare, although it does damage the Amur leopard population. A detailed analysis of their competitive relations and what they are actually competing for could eventually help us understand how to minimise the conflict. I think that the efficient management of the populations and territories could help solve this problem since it is essential for us to preserve both species. That’s what the research agenda is all about.