Annual tracking – the study of animals through the tracks they leave in the snow – has begun in Land of the Leopard National Park. During their work, researchers carefully follow the trails of several leopards and tigers. They take into account the specifics of felines’ hunting habits and collect samples, which will later provide insight into the animals’ diet and hormonal patterns.

One of the main goals of tracking is to assess the distribution of wild cats and hoofed animals in the park. While the number of tigers and leopards is growing, questions arise as to whether there is enough food for both species of predators and if there is competition between them for hunting grounds in the area. The first results show that leopards do not avoid places that tigers sometimes visit.

“This year’s field campaign has shown that tigers and leopards move along the same routes. Leopards often use tigers’ trails for convenience. The information we collected during the previous two winter tracking seasons indicates that tigers never deliberately stalk leopards. Overall, the data we collected during the previous seasons do not show that the presence of tigers has a negative impact on the distribution of leopards,” said Dina Matyukhina, a senior research associate at Land of the Leopard.

According to the latest data, there are about 30 Amur tigers and 70 Far Eastern leopards in Land of the Leopard National Park.